File Photo: Union Health Minister JP Nadda
Union Health Minister JP Nadda has alleged inefficiency of Nitish Kumar government in health care saying there was a drastic fall in number of patients coming to hospitals in OPD and decrease in institutional delivery in 2014-15 in Bihar.
While OPD patients per 10,000 of patients in 2012-13 was 7,141, it slided to 6,532 in 2014-15, Mr Nadda told PTI.
Against 15 lakh institutional deliveries in 2012-13, there were 14 lakh institutional deliveries in 2014-15, he said.
The union minister claimed that Bihar faced 45 per cent shortage of doctors, 70 per cent shortage of specialists and 84 per cent shortage of paramedical staff.
He said the state government could draw only Rs 1,148 crore out of a total allocation of Rs 2,000 crore under National Health Mission for 2014-15. And the first installment was withdrawn only after a delay of 100 days and the second by 89 days.
"Out of 12 months of implementation of programmes under National Health Mission, half of the time was wasted in delay to draw the allotment so one can imagine the efficiency of the state government," he said.
Out of the money withdrawn, only Rs 527 crore could be spent and remaining Rs 621 crore remained unspent, he said.
Similarly, out of a total of Rs 3,286 crore given by the Centre for construction of building in hospitals in 2014-15, only Rs 1,843 crore could be spent by the state government, he added.
Under National Urban Health Mission, Mr Nadda said 54 cities of Bihar had been selected, but the state government could send comprehensive plan for 15 cities only.
Despite several reminders, the Nitish Kumar government had till date not being able to provide land for construction of second AIIMS in Bihar in addition to the one in Patna, he said.
The Narendra Modi government tried to improve health facilities in Bihar through allotments under different heads, but Nitish Kumar government marked by inefficiency could not utilised it properly, Mr Nadda alleged adding only NDA government in the state would be able to match the speed with which the central government was moving in the health sector.