Bihar upgrades 135 health centres to 30-bed facilities across 38 districts
The expansion under the Saat Nishchay-3 scheme aims to provide specialised medical services to rural block-level areas.
The Bihar health department has converted 135 primary health centres into 30-bed community health centres across all 38 districts, according to a report by Urban Acres. The move, announced in a department communique on Tuesday, is part of the state government’s Saat Nishchay-3 scheme.
Each of the upgraded facilities will feature specialist posts in ophthalmology, orthopaedics, and ear, nose and throat care. The department stated that the new staffing structure is designed to support these centres as community health centres rather than primary-level facilities.
Each centre will have 47 posts spanning 24 categories. These roles include specialist doctors, a deputy superintendent, general physicians, GNM nurses, laboratory technicians, senior pharmacists, and physiotherapists.
The health department also intends to appoint hospital management staff, while retaining previously sanctioned posts for a dresser and a dental hygienist. This arrangement is expected to cover clinical treatment, diagnostics, nursing, pharmacy, and rehabilitation.
The expansion aims to bring specialised healthcare closer to rural communities and reduce the need for patients to travel to larger cities or district hospitals. The department expects this to decrease the pressure on district-level medical facilities.
The announcement did not provide specific locations, construction timelines, or a recruitment schedule for the new posts. Further implementation will depend on the operationalisation of the 30-bed services at each location.