The Odisha government will launch a major programme for immunisation of young girls against cervical cancer soon, Odisha’s minister for health and family welfare, Mukesh Mahaling said.

This programme will focus on young girls studying in schools and colleges to ward off the threat of the disease, Dr. Mahaling said while speaking at the inaugural function of the first National Conference on International Radiology (SUMUMIRCON) held at the SUM Ultimate Medicare (SUMUM) here.

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The hospital had organised the conference in association with the Odisha Radiological and Imaging Association and Indian Society of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

The minister described the conference as timely while saying that imaging and interventional radiology, two fields of radiology, had gained importance in recent times. He congratulated SUMUM for organizing the conference while saying that the hospital, along with Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM Hospital, faculty of medicine of SOA, had been writing new chapters in Odisha’s healthcare history in recent times.

Dr. Mahaling also said the state government was working on a new scheme combining the Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Gopabandhu Jana Arogya Yojana schemes which would be rolled out from the next financial year. This scheme would help the people undergo free treatment in 27,000 hospitals in the country, he said.

Besides, the state government would recruit 250 Radiographers to be stationed in government hospitals across Odisha, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Swetapadma Dash, Chief Executive Officer of SUMUM, said that SUMUM was the only hospital in the state which has a separate department for interventional radiology. This was enabling patients to undergo minimal invasive surgery, she said.

SOA Founder President Prof. (Dr.) Manojranjan Nayak also complimented SUMUM for organizing the conference which was of great importance.

The inaugural program was also addressed by Brig. (Dr.) Biraj Mohan Mishra, the hospital’s Chief of Medical Services.