Patna: CM Samrat Choudhary on Friday said the Bihar govt’s foremost priority is to ensure quality healthcare in medical colleges while keeping medical education affordable for students, as he chaired a review meeting of the health department.Choudhary said the govt was working to expand medical education across Bihar while protecting students’ interests, upholding patients’ rights and improving access to reliable, affordable and high-quality health services. He said proposals under the public-private partnership model must be guided by public interest and should strengthen the state’s health system without compromising govt ownership.The meeting reviewed proposals for establishing and operating brownfield medical colleges under the PPP model. Officials discussed ways to expand the capacity of medical colleges and hospitals by making better use of existing infrastructure and drawing on the expertise and investment capacity of both the public and private sectors. The objective, officials said, is to make healthcare services more accessible, effective and professionally managed.Choudhary said Bihar-based investors should be given preference in the establishment of brownfield medical colleges so that residents of the state receive direct benefits. He also said doctors from Bihar willing to participate in such initiatives should be accorded priority. All stakeholders, he added, must work with the welfare of the people as the central consideration.Health Secretary Kumar Ravi gave a detailed presentation on the proposed framework for operating brownfield medical colleges under the PPP model. He said hospitals would be required to display key information on prescribed charges, patient eligibility, bed categories and patients’ rights in both Hindi and English on hospital premises and online platforms. This, he said, would help patients and their families clearly understand available services, facilities and costs.The CM also asked officials to modernise Patna’s Government Ayurvedic College and Hospital and link it with leading Ayurveda institutions across India to promote wider academic and clinical collaboration.Health minister Nishant was present at the meeting. Choudhary said further action on brownfield medical college proposals should focus on infrastructure, operational systems, academic standards and better health facilities for common people, while improving investment efficiency in health.
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