Patna: The Nalanda Medical College and Hospital (NMCH) in Patna has expanded its capacity with the addition of a 100-bed ward, as part of a broader push to improve healthcare infrastructure across Bihar.
The facility, constructed at a cost of Rs 7.5 crore, was inaugurated on Friday by Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey and State Assembly Speaker Nandkishore Yadav. The new ward is built on the upper floor to mitigate issues of waterlogging during the monsoon season and brings the total number of beds in NMCH’s General Medicine Department to 228.
Pandey said the development was part of a long-term vision to expand NMCH’s capacity, with plans underway to add 400 more beds in the future. He added that the hospital now has 1,189 beds, up from 650 a few years ago. “There is now oxygen supply at every bed and medicines are readily available,” Pandey said, noting that Bihar has ranked first in medicine supply metrics for the past eight months.
He also highlighted the role of local women’s self-help groups—Jeevika Didis—in managing food and sanitation services at the hospital, calling it a key improvement in service quality.
Work is also progressing on a Rs 8.34 crore Tuberculosis Training and Demonstration Centre (TVDC), which is expected to be completed and inaugurated by 15 August 2025. Additionally, a TB Medical College is set to begin construction in Kadamkuan at a cost of Rs 04.44 crore.
Over the past decade, NMCH has seen major upgrades, including a 350-seat auditorium, a de-addiction centre, a BSc Nursing College, an RTPCR lab, a cochlear implant unit, modular operation theatres, and new hostels. Many of these projects fall under the state’s ‘Saat Nishchay’ (Seven Resolutions) initiative launched in 2019.
Addressing the crowd, Speaker Nandkishore Yadav said Bihar’s health services have seen “transformational change,” pointing to the availability of doctors and medicines across government hospitals. He credited Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s leadership over the last two decades for the improvements.
The event was attended by Patna Mayor Sita Sahu, CEO of the State Health Protection Committee Shashank Shekhar Sinha, NMCH principal Prof Dr Usha Kumari, hospital superintendent Dr Rashmi Prasad, and other dignitaries, political leaders, faculty, and residents.
