Cabinet decisions: IGIMS to offer free treatment
Currently, all services in the IGIMS, which sees thousands of patients every day from across the state, are chargeable, though marginally lesser than being charged by private medical institutions.
The Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna, the Bihar’s government’s premier medical institution, will soon offer free of cost treatment to the patients.
“The patients enrolled for treatment will not be charged for medicines, surgery, pathological and other tests and bed charge for admission in general wards,” additional chief secretary (cabinet) S Siddharth said on Monday after a meeting of the state cabinet.
The patients are, however, required to pay for the registration charge and bed charges for admission in private and deluxe wards. Currently, all services in the IGIMS, which sees thousands of patients every day from across the state, are chargeable, though marginally lesser than being charged by private medical institutions.
The state cabinet, at its meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar, approved the health department’s proposal to drop all kinds of charges on medical facilities being provided by the IGIMS. “All the expenses incurred by the IGIMS in lieu of providing free of cost treatment to the patients would be borne by the government,” said Siddharth, adding that the new arrangement would come in effect after it is is notified in the state gazzette.
A day ago, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who also heads the health department, had said at a function at the institute that the government would be making arrangement to ensure free of cost treatment to all patients pouring at the IGIMS.
Siddharth said the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL) would supply all medicines, surgical and other equipment to the IGIMS on priority basis.
IGIMS director Bindey Kumar said that currently all medical interventions in the institute are chargeable and patients have to pay as high as ₹28,000 for some of the critical pathological tests, while pacemakers cost around ₹50,000. “The patients are required to deposit ₹10,000 in advance for medicines, ₹10,000 for ICU and ₹50,000 each for e-ICU and deluxe ward,” added the director.
28 new traffic police stations to be set up
Siddharth, who is also additional chief secretary of home department, said the cabinet has also approved the proposal for setting up 28 new traffic police stations in the districts still uncovered by the facility and creation of additional posts to man them. Currently, only 12 districts, including Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Bihar Sharif, Purnia, Ara and Muzaffapur, dedicated traffic police stations.
The new districts where traffic police stations will be opened are Kishanganj, Nawada, Siwan, Buxar, Madhubani, Jehanabad, Bhabua, Supaul, Saharsa, Jamui, Rohtas, Bettiah, Aurangabad, Araria, Gopalganj, Sitamarhi, Lukhisarai, Banka, Khagaria, Motihari, Madhepura, Arwal, Sheohar, and three police districts of Bagaha, Sheikhpura and Navgachhia.
Territorial jurisdictions of the traffic police station in Patna and Gaya have also been redefined to ensure effecting monitoring and curtailment in number of road accidents.
Entrepreneurship development incentive for minority youths
The cabinet also gave its go-ahead to the industries department’s proposal to launch CM’s minority entrepreneurship scheme to promote entrepreneurship among the youths of minority communities.
Under the scheme, the department offers a grant of ₹5 lakh and arrange an equal amount of loan at nominal interest rate (nil for women and 1% for men) for various kinds of businesses.
Similar schemes were earlier launched for the youths of SC/ST, extremely backward classes and those of general categories. The capital support scheme for entrepreneurs of minorities, which is offered by the department concerned , will, however, be discontinued.
The cabinet also approved storm water drainage scheme worth ₹134.97 crore for Chapra town.
