Patna: Bihar’s health services received a significant boost as Health Minister Mangal Pandey handed out appointment letters to 228 specialist doctors under the National Health Mission on saturday during a ceremony at the Convention Hall in Patna.
The newly appointed specialists include 30 orthopaedic surgeons, 27 general surgeons, 17 ophthalmologists, 25 medicine specialists (MD), 38 paediatricians, 55 gynaecologists and obstetricians, 13 ENT surgeons, 12 psychiatrists, three dermatologists, and eight anaesthetists.
Pandey emphasised that this initiative reflects the state government’s commitment to providing accessible, quality healthcare to every citizen. He added that strengthening health infrastructure and human resources remains a priority under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Further appointments are underway, with the recruitment process for 722 general physicians expected to conclude within 15 days. Additionally, the reinstatement of 8,500 general and specialist doctors is in progress, with all appointments on 41,000 health department posts—including various health workers—to be completed within the next three months.
The Health Minister also highlighted progress under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, revealing that more than 17 lakh Ayushman and Vaya Vandana cards were issued across the state in the past five days. So far, 3.96 crore Ayushman cards have been distributed, nearing the target of 4 crore. The scheme aims to cover 1.79 crore families, with 1.62 crore already enrolled.
To improve service delivery, the appointed doctors were also provided laptops to facilitate technology-driven healthcare, reinforcing Bihar’s move towards digital medical services and advanced pathology facilities.
Officials including Development Commissioner and Additional Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit, Health Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh, and other senior health department officers attended the event.
