Bhubaneswar, Nov 6 (IANS): Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced a Rs 1000 crore plan for the development of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack into a state-of-the-art, 3,000-bed integrated hospital.

The Chief Minister said the premier medical college will be developed into one of the top three hospitals in the country.

"We will create a state-of-the-art, 3,000-bed integrated hospital equipped with latest medical facilities. We should be able to compare ourselves with the best in the country. In fact, our transformational goal should be AIIMS plus," Patnaik said.

"This will involve a substantial cost, more than Rs 1,000 crore, but it will result in a transformation where no person from Odisha will be forced to go outside the state for medical treatment," he added.

To support this hospital, the government will create an ecosystem with the best accommodation and recreational facilities for both doctors and students, the Chief Minister said.

The hospital will be such that medical professionals settled outside will aspire to come and serve here, said Patnaik.

"Odisha has set global benchmarks in many fields. Now it's time the world recognises Odisha for its affordable, quality healthcare," the Chief Minister said.

Set up as a small dispensary in the premises of the present medical college in the later half of the 18th century, SCB Medical College and Hospital has been serving the people of Odisha for many years.