Patna: Bihar authorities have announced a strict crackdown on private activities within government health facilities, amid reports that patients are being directed to private hospitals and diagnostic centres.
Health Secretary Lokesh Kumar Singh has instructed all district magistrates to enforce the measure, citing complaints that personnel connected to private nursing homes, diagnostic labs, X-ray centres, and pharmacies have been persuading patients to leave government hospitals for private treatment, tests, and medicines. Officials described the practice as a “direct attack” on government welfare health schemes and a serious attempt to deprive the public of state-provided care.
Under the new directives, district-level joint inspection teams, including senior deputy collectors, district officers, and government medical officers, will conduct regular monitoring of government medical college hospitals, district and sub-divisional hospitals, community health centres, and primary health centres. Special investigation units will be formed to halt private operations within these public institutions.
Those found engaging in illegal activities will face strict action. Private individuals will be subject to legal proceedings, while government employees implicated in such practices will face departmental penalties. Each district will have a nodal officer responsible for reviewing inspection reports and forwarding them to the Health Department.
Officials said the campaign is intended to ensure that government healthcare facilities remain fully accessible to the public, without interference from private agents or institutions.
