Bihar to upgrade all district hospitals into super-specialty facilities: Mangal Pandey

Patna: Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey on Monday said the NDA government is set to transform all district hospitals in the state into super-specialty facilities in the coming years.

Concluding the debate on the proposed health department budget of Rs 21,270.41 crore for 2026-27, Pandey said, "With an aim to strengthen public healthcare infrastructure, the NDA government has decided to convert all 36 district hospitals into super-specialty facilities. The department will also upgrade all community health centres (CHCs) into specialty hospitals", news agency PTI reported.

The House passed the budget of the department by voice vote, even as all the opposition members walked out of the House, maintaining that they were not convinced by the government's reply.

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The minister further said, "The initiative, part of the Nitish Kumar government's Saat Nishchay-3: Accessible Health, Safe Life campaign, aims to provide affordable and high-quality healthcare. The initiative also includes adding advanced medical services and deploying specialists".

Under the Saat Nishchay-3 programme, scheduled for implementation from 2025 to 2030, the state aims to be counted among the most developed in the country.

The programme's objective, 'Sabka Samman-Jeevan Aasaan' (Ease of Living), seeks to reduce citizens' difficulties and improve the quality of life.

The government had earlier rolled out two 'Saat Nishchay' initiatives since 2015.

Once the upgrade is completed, all CHCs will have additional facilities, including clinical psychologists, dental and AYUSH specialists, along with increased staff such as physicians, pharmacists, urology technicians, ECG technicians, dental assistants, and OT assistants or technicians, reports PTI.

While participating in the discussion, RJD MLA Karishma Rai said, "Health facilities in Bihar have totally collapsed, and people go outside the state for treatment. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has already pulled up the state government for failing to utilise 31 per cent fund of the total budget allocated to the department in the last fiscal".

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