Nitish dismisses Niti Aayog’s damning report on Bihar’s health sector

Kumar was replying to a query on the Aayog’s recent report in which it had rated Bihar at the bottom of all the state in terms of availability of beds in district hospitals per lakh population. The report stated that Bihar has only six beds per lakh population as compared to 222 in Puducherry, 59 in Delhi and the national average of 24.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday dismissed the Niti Aayog’s report on the state’s health sector as “inappropriate” and said a formal and comprehensive reply to it would be sent to the commission.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar (HT FIle)

Talking to the media after his customary Janata Darbar, where people meet the CM with their grievances, Kumar questioned the modalities for the sectoral assessment of different states and alleged that the fundamentals and remarkable changes in the sectors were completely ignored in the Niti Aayog’s study of Bihar.

Kumar was replying to a query on the Aayog’s recent report in which it had rated Bihar at the bottom of all the state in terms of availability of beds in district hospitals per lakh population. The report stated that Bihar has only six beds per lakh population as compared to 222 in Puducherry, 59 in Delhi and the national average of 24.

“I don’t understand who and how the study is carried out? Is there any logic of comparing a poor state like Bihar with the prosperous Maharashtra? I will tell everything if I was given a chance to attend the Niti Aayog’s meeting,” said Kumar, adding there was tremendous advancement in the health sector ever since he took over as the CM.

He said that nearly 10,000 people were being treated at a block-level hospital per month as against 39 in 2006. “We have launched free distribution of medicines in government hospitals, which was later followed by other states. Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) is being developed as the country’s biggest hospital in terms of bed-capacity and infrastructure. The number of medical colleges and hospitals has also increased considerably. But these things were not considered by Niti Aayog,” the CM said,adding that people of Bihar no longer needed go out for treatment now.

Kumar said Niti Aayog might have come in the existence much later, but it should not ignore the progresses in all sectors, including economic conditions, made by Bihar in the past.

On the issue of caste-based enumeration of the population, Kumar said that he would convene an all-party meeting after the by-elections for Kusheshwarsthan and Tarapur assembly seats and discuss the way to do that in the wake of the Centre’s no to the proposal. “I still hope a consensus would be reached before deciding the fresh course of action on caste census,” Kumar said, apparently ignoring the change of stance of BJP leaders on the issue post the Central government’s reluctance to go for it.