Patna

Mangal Pandey on Monday announced that the NDA government in Bihar has decided to convert 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 in the Assembly, Pandey said the move is aimed at strengthening public healthcare infrastructure across the state.

“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,” he said.

The House later passed the health department budget by voice vote, even as opposition members staged a walkout, stating they were not satisfied with the government’s response.

Pandey said the initiative is part of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s ‘Saat Nishchay-3: Accessible Health, Safe Life’ campaign. The programme, to be implemented between 2025 and 2030, aims to provide affordable and high-quality healthcare while adding advanced medical services and deploying specialist doctors.

Under the broader objective of ‘Sabka Samman—Jeevan Aasaan’ (Ease of Living), the state government seeks to reduce citizens’ difficulties and improve overall quality of life. Two earlier ‘Saat Nishchay’ programmes have been implemented since 2015.

Once the upgrades are completed, CHCs will be equipped with additional facilities, including clinical psychologists, dental and AYUSH specialists. Staffing will also be strengthened with physicians, pharmacists, urology technicians, ECG technicians, dental assistants, and operation theatre assistants or technicians.

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Participating in the debate, RJD MLA Karishma Rai alleged that health facilities in Bihar had “totally collapsed” and claimed many residents seek treatment outside the state. She also cited the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), alleging that 31 per cent of the allocated health budget remained unutilised in the previous fiscal year.