Patna: The Bihar government has pledged to overhaul all district Sadar hospitals and upgrade them into super-specialist facilities within five years, after opposition lawmakers criticised the poor state of public healthcare during the budget session of the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
During question hour, BJP MLAs Sachindra Kumar and Pramod Kumar pressed ministers over persistent shortages in the state’s main government hospitals, asking why basic services remain inadequate when Sadar hospitals serve as the primary point of care for much of the population.
The legislators told the House that many district hospitals continue to struggle with a lack of doctors, insufficient diagnostic equipment, medicine shortages and poor sanitation. For rural and low-income families unable to afford private treatment, they argued, government facilities are often the only option. “If Sadar hospitals remain in this condition, how will the common people access quality healthcare?” one member asked.
In response, the health minister, Mangal Pandey, said the government was “serious about strengthening health services” and had begun work on a phased plan to transform all Sadar hospitals into super-specialist centres. He said the target was to equip every district hospital with advanced facilities within the next five years.
Pandey said the upgrade would include the installation of modern medical equipment, recruitment of specialist doctors, expansion of intensive care units and the introduction of advanced diagnostic services. Infrastructure improvements, including building renovations and expansions, would aim to provide a safer and more patient-friendly environment. Adequate budgetary allocations, he added, had been made to support the initiative.
Opposition members said announcements must translate into visible change on the ground and called for priority action in districts where healthcare infrastructure is weakest. The minister said a statewide survey was under way and that districts would be prioritised according to need.
