Patna: The Bihar Health Department has revised its maternity leave approval system for staff nurses, restoring the authority to sanction such leave back to the appointing authority. The decision marks a rollback of the earlier decentralised structure introduced in December 2025.
The department said the change was necessitated due to operational and technical difficulties faced under the previous arrangement.
Earlier System Introduced in December 2025
Under an order issued in December 2025, the responsibility for granting maternity leave had been assigned to Civil Surgeons-cum-Chief Medical Officers at the district level.
In medical college hospitals, the authority was vested in superintendents, while directors of super-speciality hospitals were also empowered to approve such leave.
However, officials reported administrative bottlenecks after the system came into effect, leading to delays in processing applications.
Authority Restored to Appointing Level
Director-in-Chief (Nursing), in a revised order superseding the earlier directive, stated that the sanctioning authority has now been returned to the appointing authority.
With this change, maternity leave-related matters for staff nurses will now be processed at the same level where appointments are made.
Officials said the revision is aimed at improving administrative efficiency and reducing pendency in leave-related files.
Faster Processing Expected
Departmental sources indicated that the earlier system had resulted in delays due to file movement across multiple levels.
The reinstated mechanism is expected to simplify approvals and ensure faster clearance of maternity leave applications.
Officials have described the move as a step towards easing procedural hurdles for women employees in the health sector.
