Patna: Bihar government is set to begin 2026 with an important improvement in its healthcare system as two new government medical colleges are ready to start operations. The colleges are located in Mahua in Vaishali district and Ara in Bhojpur district. Each medical college will have a 500-bed hospital and will admit 100 MBBS students every year. Once these colleges open, the total number of medical colleges in Bihar will increase to 15, showing steady progress in medical education over the last few years.
Officials from the health department said that construction work at both campuses has been completed and preparations are underway to begin classes and hospital services in January. Around Rs 500 crore has been spent on building the medical college in Mahua, while the Ara medical college has been constructed at a cost of about Rs 543 crore. Both institutions have been developed according to the standards set by the National Medical Council, ensuring proper facilities for teaching, training and patient care.
The new hospitals will provide treatment in major departments such as general medicine, surgery, paediatrics and gynaecology. Intensive care units, outpatient departments, indoor wards, diagnostic services, medicines and surgical facilities will also be available. For people living in nearby districts, this means they will no longer need to travel far for serious medical treatment. Health officials believe the addition of 1,000 beds will reduce pressure on existing hospitals and improve access to timely care.
These colleges are also expected to benefit students from Bihar who dream of becoming doctors. With 200 new MBBS seats added every year, more students will be able to study medicine within the state instead of moving elsewhere. Hostels for students and residential facilities for doctors and staff have already been built, making the campuses ready for regular academic life.
About ten years ago, Bihar had only six government medical colleges. In the last decade, this number has increased to 13, and with the opening of the Mahua and Ara colleges, it will reach 15 in 2026. The state government has announced plans to set up medical colleges in all remaining districts within the next five years. Construction work is already underway in districts such as Siwan, Begusarai, Buxar and Madhubani.
Officials say these steps will strengthen Bihar’s healthcare system in the long run and help create more trained doctors for the state. By expanding medical education and hospital facilities together, the government hopes to improve health services for ordinary people and reduce the need for patients and students to leave Bihar for treatment or studies.
