Parliament Question: Overcrowding and capacity constraints in Government hospitals of Patna

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE RAJYASABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1242 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10THFEBRUARY, 2026 OVERCROWDINGANDCAPACITYCONSTRAINTSINGOVERNMENTHOSPITALS OFPATNA 1242. SHRIAKHILESH PRASAD SINGH: Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a) whether Government hospitals and medical colleges in Patna are experiencing excessive patient loaddue toreferralsfrom neighbouring districts andshortage of facilitiesinsurrounding regions; (b) whether shortages of doctors, nursing staff, beds, medicines and diagnostic equipment have been reportedinmajorpublic hospitals; (c) the funds allocated and released for strengthening healthcare infrastructure in Patna during the last three years; and (d) the steps taken to expand hospital capacity, improve service delivery andreduce overcrowding in public healthinstitutions inthe capitalcityof Bihar? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (d): Public Health’ & ‘Hospitals’ are State subjects. The primary responsibility of availability of health facilities, doctors, nurses and diagnostic equipment in Government hospitals and Medical collegeslieswith the respective StateGovernments. Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources), is an annual publication, based on healthcare administrative data reported by States/UTs. Details of health infrastructure and availability of human resource including doctors, nurses and beds in Government hospitals and Medical Collegesinthe countryincludingPatna,maybe seen at the following linkof HDI 2022-23: https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dynamics%20of%20India%20%28Infrastructure %20%26%20Human%20Resources%29%202022-23_RE%20%281%29.pdf Under Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics Service Initiative, Government of India provides financial support to States/UTs for essential drugs & pathological and radiological diagnostic services at all public health facilities upto District level. This includes support for 106 drugs & 14 tests at Sub Health Centre- Ayushman Arogya Mandir (SHC-AAMs), 172 drugs & 63 tests at Primary Health Centre (PHC-AAMs), 300 drugs & 97 tests at Community Health Centres (CHCs), 318 drugs & 111tests at SubDistrict Hospitals (SDHs) and381drugs & 134 tests at District Hospitals (DHs). The National Health Mission (NHM) provides support for improvement in health infrastructure, availability of adequatehumanresources inhealth facilities,toimprove availability, affordability and accessibility toquality health care especially for the poor andvulnerable sections in urban,rural, and tribal/hilly areas including Bihar. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs to strengthen the public healthcare system in rural areas based on the proposals received inthe form of Programme ImplementationPlans(PIPs) underNational Health Mission. Government of India provides approval for the proposal in the form of Record of Proceedings (RoPs) as per norms & available resources. The details of RoPs issued to States/UTs includingBihar, are availableat following web link: https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=1&sublinkid=1377&lid=744 Central ReleasesunderNHM for the State of Bihar from FY2022-23 toFY2024-25 are asfollow: (Rs inCrore) FinancialYear CentralReleaseunderNHM 2022-23 1,586.57 2023-24 2,032.95 2024-25 2,367.18 The PradhanMantri Ayushman Bharat HealthInfrastructure Mission(PM-ABHIM) with anoutlayof Rs.64,180 crore aims to provide support for infrastructure development for Sub-Health Centres, Urban Health and Wellness Centres, Support for Block Public Health Units, Integrated District Public Health Laboratories (IPHL) and Critical Care Hospital Blocks (CCBs). Total amount of 3109.33Cr.has beenapprovedunderPM-ABHIM for the Stateof Bihar for FY2021-22 toFY2025- 26. Central Release under PM-ABHIM for the State of Bihar for Infrastructure Strengthening from FY 2022-23 toFY2024-25: (Rs inCrore) FinancialYear CentralRelease 2022-23 7.17 2023-24 0.00 2024-25 15.92 The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) has recommended grants through local governments for specific components of the heath sector to the tune of Rs.70,051 crore and the same have been accepted by the Union Government. Total amount of Rs.6016.95 crore has been allocated under FC- XVhealth grant for the Stateof Bihar for FY2021-22 toFY2025-26. A total of 1.82 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) have been established and operationalized in the country, including 12,144 AAMs in Bihar, which deliver expanded range of comprehensive primary healthcare services encompassing preventive, promotive, palliative, rehabilitative, and curative care. The teleconsultation services, available at all operational AAMs across the countryincluding rural and urban areas, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, shortage of service providers and to facilitate continuumof care. The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aims at correcting regional imbalance in the availability of affordable tertiaryhealthcare services and toaugment facilities for quality medical education in the country. Under PMSSY, AIIMS Patna has been established to strengthen tertiary- level healthcare with 24x7 fully operational IPD, Trauma and Emergency Blocks with scheduled time and date of OPD services. Further, an amount of Rs. 91 crore has been released under Central Sector component of PM-ABHIM from FY 2022-23 till date for setting up Critical Care Hospital Block in AIIMS Patna. 2 Government Medical Colleges/Institutions (GMCIs) in Patna have also beentakenupfor up-gradationunder thisscheme. To improve health services in public health facilities, the Government of India has laid down Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) 2022. These standards include norms for services, infrastructure, human resources, diagnostics, equipment, medicines etc. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has developed an Open Data Kit (ODK) toolkit under IPHS to conduct baseline assessments, identify gaps, and plan and implement corrective measures. NHM provides support to address these gaps, ensuring the reach andmeeting of essential standards for these facilities. National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) have also beenlaunched for all healthfacilities including AAMs for an improved service delivery. ****