Patna: Bihar deputy CM and finance minister Samrat Choudhary, while presenting the state budget for 2025-26 in the legislative assembly on Monday, announced a dedicated cancer hospital in Begusarai district, in addition to the establishment of a Bihar Cancer Society to help provide treatment and curb the increase of this deadly disease. He also mentioned that urban health facility centres, specifically catering to poor and slum-dwellers, will be set up in all towns and cities.
Choudhary further said that the govt would implement Bihar Pharmaceutical Promotion Policy, 2025, and set up innovation, research and development centres, determined at making the state a prominent player in the sector.
A total of Rs 20,335 crore has been allocated to the health department in this budget, which is 8.82% of the total budget and third highest allocation.
Chaudhary said that the decision to set up a cancer hospital in Begusarai was made because the district had the highest number of such patients. Cancer screening is already being done in all the districts, while chemotherapy is available in Patna, Purnia, Muzaffarpur, Gaya, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur, he added.
About the health facilities in urban areas, he said that in the first phase, 108 such centres will be set up in all nine divisions of Bihar.
While highlighting the important aspects of the budget, Chaudhary said additional referral hospitals will also be set up in large subdivisions, apart from the already existing subdivisional hospitals.
He also welcomed private players to set up medical colleges on a PPP mode, saying the govt will provide them with land.
About the works already done in the sector, he said in 2023-24, approval for the construction of 434 community health centres (CHC) was given, of which 354 was completed. Additionally, approval for the construction of 47 more CHCs was given in 2024-25.
