Odisha Govt enhances bed strength at SVPPGIP, Cuttack to strengthen pediatric care

Bhubaneswar, Aug 30 (UNI) In a significant step towards strengthening tertiary pediatric care, the Odisha Government has enhanced the bed capacity of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP), Cuttack—popularly known as Shishu Bhawan—to 846 beds.

The expansion aims to address the increasing number of children referred from various districts of Odisha as well as neighbouring states, official sources said.

Odisha Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling today sanctioned 424 additional beds for the institute, raising the total from 422 to 846.

The increase follows the inauguration of a new seven-storied, centrally air-conditioned hospital building by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda on April 11, 2025.

Alongside the enhanced bed strength, the state government has also sanctioned 59 new faculty and medical posts, including 5 Professors, 10 Associate Professors, 18 Assistant Professors, 24 Senior Residents, 2 Medical Officers (one for the Blood Bank and one for the Drug Store)
Dr. Mahaling described this as the largest expansion since the inception of Shishu Bhawan in 1960, adding that the development would transform SVPPGIP into a premier pediatric institute in eastern India.