New Delhi: The Union Health Minister reportedly assured Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, who met A Ramdoss on Friday to start construction work for the Orissa unit of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) near Bhubaneswar latest by 2008.

Patnaik informed the Union Health Minister said that the State government had already made land available to the Central Government for the purpose and work on the project should without further delay.
 
According to the sources Patnaik reportedly requested Ramdoss for opening of a paediatric centre at Berhampur for treatment of children affected by HIV and AIDS.

He also pursued the request made by the State Government for installation of CD-4 machines in the three medical colleges at Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur for detection of HIV and AIDS.
 
Patnaik also reportedly requested him to sanction state-of-the art machines such as Linear Accelerator for the cancer hospital at Cuttack. Ramdoss reportedly assured Patnaik that all support would be extended for this purpose.

He also pleaded for increase of intake capacity in Dental Surgery (BDS) courses from 20 to 50. Patnaik further suggested opening of MDS course for which necessary posts of doctors have been sanctioned by the Government of Orissa.

Discussions were also held for opening new nursing colleges in different parts of Orissa in Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode. The State Government will take steps to open such colleges shortly.