Patna: The Bihar government has announced a massive recruitment drive in the health department, with 66,000 new appointments planned across various roles. Out of these, 38,733 positions will be filled through regular appointments, while 27,375 posts will be on an honorarium basis.
Health Minister Mangal Pandey made the announcement while presenting the health department budget of ₹20,036 crore in the Bihar Assembly. The budget was passed by voice vote in the absence of the opposition.
Breakdown of the Recruitment Drive
- Medical Colleges: Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) will appoint 1,827 assistant professors in medical colleges.
- Doctors: Bihar Technical Service Commission will recruit 3,623 specialist doctors, 667 medical officers, 808 dentists, and 18 doctors for the post of Assistant Director at IGIC Patna.
- Paramedics & Nursing Staff: The Technical Service Commission will appoint 11,925 paramedical personnel and 19,110 ANM-GNM tutors.
- Asha Workers: The government will also recruit 26,325 Asha workers and 1,050 Asha facilitators on an honorarium basis.
New Medical Colleges & Infrastructure Development
The minister announced that new government medical colleges will be established in Banka, Araria, Khagaria, Nawada, Aurangabad, Jehanabad, and Kaimur. Construction of medical colleges in Gopalganj, Motihari, and Saharsa will start immediately. Once completed, Bihar will have 34 government medical colleges across 31 districts.
Currently, private medical colleges are operating in Rohtas, Katihar, and Kishanganj, while four districts—Arwal, Sheohar, Lakhisarai, and Sheikhpura—still lack medical colleges.
The state will also see an increase in healthcare facilities with:
- 28,884 patient beds in medical colleges
- 5,220 MBBS seats across the state
- 1,500 new hospitals to be built in villages
Major Healthcare Initiatives
- Cancer hospitals will be established in Begusarai and Nawada.
- Trauma centers will be set up along highways in Bikram (Patna), Mohania (Kaimur), and Karhara (Aurangabad).
- Special ambulances will be launched for safe transportation of mothers and newborns to government hospitals.
Encouraging Private Sector Participation
To improve medical education and healthcare infrastructure, the Bihar government plans to introduce a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model for establishing and running medical colleges. Efforts will also be made to encourage private sector investment in setting up new medical colleges and hospitals.
Bihar Leads in Free Medicine Distribution
The minister highlighted that ₹900 crore worth of free medicines have been distributed to patients in government hospitals in the current financial year. Bihar has been ranked first in the country for medicine distribution for the last six months.
