Bhubaneswar (Kalinga Voice) : Susmita Bagchi Chairperson of Mo School and well-known Odia writer and Subroto Bagchi, Chairman of Odisha Skill Development Authority, co-founder of Mindtree and business author, have together donated Rupees 340 crores from their personal resources to bring two leading cancer institutions to Odisha.
Karunashraya, the Bengaluru based, nationally well-known palliative care
organisation, started by the not-for-profit, Bangalore Hospice Trust, will set up “Bagchi-Karunashraya Palliative Care Centre” in Bhubaneswar. For this, the Government of Odisha will provide a 20-acre land at its Info-Valley in Bhubaneswar. Towards this greenfield project, the Bagchi couple will gift Rupees 130 crores.
Adjacent to Karunashraya, Sri Shankara Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit trust from Bengaluru will set “The Bagchi-Sri Shankara Cancer Hospital and Research Centre” which will have a 500-bed cancer hospital. The Government of Odisha will make available a 20-acre land to house the state of-the-art project. Towards this, the Bagchi couple will gift Rupees 210 crores.
With the two cancer institutions located side by side, Odisha will become a major centre in Oncology care, cure, research, training, outreach, and advocacy.
Susmita Bagchi, speaking on behalf of the couple said, “After COVID-19, as a family, we deeply realised how overstretched the Government healthcare system is in every which way. People who have the resources in a country like ours must come forward to get more directly involved in public health matters. It is our moral duty. Both Subroto and I are deeply grateful to the Government of Odisha for accepting our contribution. It is a small gesture to pay back to our home State. We thank both Karunashraya and Sri Shankara Foundation for coming to Odisha”.
