Bhubaneswar, Sep 19 (IANS): Odisha Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling on Thursday said that medical colleges will be established in all districts of the state in the next five years.

Speaking to media persons here, he said, "Medical colleges will be set up at the headquarters of all the districts in the state and a detailed roadmap has been prepared in this regard."

The state Health Minister said that since the BJP government came to power at the Centre in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned 'One District, One Medical College' to establish medical colleges in every district of the country.

With the Union government's move, new medical colleges have been set up in the state with 60 per cent funding from the Central government.

As many as 11 colleges in the state offer undergraduate MBBS courses while two more medical colleges- Talcher and Kandhamal- are in the pipeline.

He asserted that the Mohan Charan Majhi government is committed to setting up medical colleges in all district headquarters.

The Odisha University of Health Sciences (OUHS), an affiliating university that covers over 200 medical and para-medical colleges, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with six premier educational institutions in the country for advancing research in the medical sector.

He said that the main aim of these MoUs was to ensure the exchange of ideas between our undergraduate MBBS doctors, doctors pursuing postgraduate courses, and the doctors in Ayurvedic Colleges and Homoeopathic Colleges with the professionals in the premier research institutions in the country and abroad.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has assured to take all steps to fill up all doctor and paramedical staff posts lying vacant in the medical facilities across the state soon.