Patna: Bihar’s new Health Minister, Mangal Pandey, has announced that more than 33,000 vacant posts in the Health Department will be filled shortly, marking one of the state’s largest recruitment drives in recent years. Pandey made the statement on Tuesday after formally assuming charge at the department.
Pandey said the recruitment process for 26,000 positions was already in the “final stage”, while an additional 7,600 posts under the National Health Mission (NHM) would also be filled soon. The push is expected to significantly bolster staffing levels across Bihar’s hospitals, health centres and frontline services.
Three New Medical Colleges to Open Next Year
The minister also revealed that three new medical colleges—in Vaishali, Bhojpur and Siwan—are expected to be ready by next year. The expansion is part of the government’s ongoing strategy to increase medical education capacity and improve district-level healthcare infrastructure.
A Return to a Familiar Role
For Pandey, this is a return to a position he knows well. He previously served as Health Minister in the 2017 NDA government, and again after the 2020 assembly elections. Although the Grand Alliance briefly held power in between, Pandey returned to the cabinet after the political shift in 2024.
In the 2025 assembly elections, Pandey contested from Siwan on a BJP ticket and defeated RJD candidate Awadh Bihari Chaudhary by 9,370 votes. His victory secured his place in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s new cabinet, where he took oath on 20 November at Gandhi Maidan, Patna.
In addition to the Health portfolio, Pandey has also been assigned charge of the Law Department in the new government.
