India News | CAG Audit Report Finds Acute Shortage of Doctors in Bihar

Patna, Nov 28 (PTI) A Comptroller and Auditor General of India report on Bihar's healthcare sector has found acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff and majority of blood banks in the state operating without "valid licenses".

The CAG's performance audit report on the Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services for the period 2016-22 was tabled in the state assembly on Thursday.

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"In Bihar, against the projected population of 12.49 crore (March, 2022), 1,24,919 doctors were required to fulfil the recommendation of the World Health Organisation. However, only 58,144 allopathic doctors were available in the state (as of January 2022), which was 53 per cent less than the recommended norms of WHO and 32 per cent less than the national average", said the report.

In primary and secondary healthcare facilities of the state, 23,475 (61 per cent) and 18,909 posts (56 per cent) were lying vacant against the total sanctioned strength. "Similarly, 49 per cent and 82 per cent posts were lying vacant against sanctioned strength in tertiary and AYUSH healthcare facilities, respectively. There was an overall shortage of 35,317 (60 per cent) against the sanctioned strength", it said.

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As far as blood banks are concerned, it said, "... the licences of blood banks are valid for five years. Further licenses may be renewed after a joint inspection by the drug inspectors and experts. Audit checked the record of six blood banks and observed that during inspections, critical shortage of equipment were observed hence their licenses were not renewed. However, concerned blood banks continued to operate with such critical shortages, without being in possession of valid licences".

The CAG report further said scrutiny of the purchase orders data of the Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited (BMSICL), a centralised agency of the state government for procuring and managing drugs for all medical institutions, revealed that from 2016-17 to 2021-22, supplies of the medicines were received with only 35 per cent to 74 per cent of their shelf life.

"Further most of the drugs, received with less than 75 per cent of their shelf life, were indigenous drugs. In certain cases drugs nearing expiry were not withdrawn by the BMSICL", it said.

Physical verification of 25 ambulances showed that none of the ambulances had required equipment/medicine/consumables. "The shortage ranged from 14 per cent to 100 per cent", it said.

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