29-04-2025
Healthcare infra needs major boost, says health secretary
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Ranchi: The state is grappling with a severe shortfall in
healthcare infrastructure
, with a significant gap in the availability of hospital beds across the state, additional chief secretary, Ajoy Kumar Singh, said at a workshop.
"While the state currently has around 31,000 hospital beds in both govt and private sectors, it falls short by over 82,000 beds based on World Health Organization (WHO) norms, which recommend at least 1,13,000 beds for the population," he added.
"The current figure stands far below the requirement, raising concerns about the state's preparedness to handle medical emergencies, especially during disease outbreaks or natural disasters," said Singh.
Singh stressed the urgent need for sustained investment and strategic planning to strengthen healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved and rural areas. He called for better coordination between the health department and hospitals, especially those implementing govt health schemes.
Health minister Irfan Ansari
, addressing the gathering, reaffirmed the govt's commitment to improving healthcare access. "We are ready to provide quality treatment to the people of state. The state will appoint the best doctors, and we are working to upgrade institutions like Rims with AI-based technologies," said Ansari.
He also expressed concern over reports of private hospitals discontinuing treatment once govt scheme funds are exhausted. Ansari said, "Such behaviour is inhuman. Hospitals must take full responsibility for critical patients."
The minister also assured that a separate workshop will be held for private hospitals that couldn't attend the event. Ansari, said, "I am also a doctor. If there is any issue, speak to me directly. We want the system to function smoothly. The health department plans to address the bed shortage by upgrading community health centres, expanding district hospitals, and encouraging public-private partnerships."
The workshop focused on improving implementation of the
Ayushman Bharat
and Abua Health Security schemes to ensure financial protection and wider healthcare access. Officials stressed that while affordability is addressed through schemes, physical access to beds, equipment, and trained personnel remains a pressing challenge.
Executive director of State Arogya Society, Abu Imran, urged all private hospitals to follow scheme guidelines. "Many small hospitals lack trained staff and struggle to interpret scheme protocols. We need to ensure they receive right training and support," he said, also emphasising the need to enrol more hospitals under other health insurance initiatives like the Rajyakarmi Swasthya Bima Yojana and Vaya Vandan Yojana.
The event was attended by civil surgeons from across districts, representatives of small hospitals from both rural and urban areas, and officials of the State Arogya Society. Training sessions on hospital capacity, grievance redressal, and scheme guidelines were also conducted during the programme.
