With a view to providing better health facilities to the people of the state, the Bihar cabinet has given its nod to online registration system for availing doctor’s consultancy at the OPDs of medical college hospitals down to the primary health centres, top government official said. The cabinet meeting was chaired by the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and also gave its nod constituting and registering Bihar Health Protection Committee (BHPC) for implementing the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, the principal secretary to the cabinet secretariat department Arun Kumar Singh told reporters.
The online registration facility would be free as the cabinet abolished the existing registration fee of Rs 5 for medical college hospitals and Rs 2 for district and sub-divisional hospitals and Re 1 for primary health centres, he said. Patients from across the state would be able to get medical consultancy from anywhere in the state, he said adding that the measure will help patients and their attendants avoid standing in long queues for registration.
The online registration system would also help in reducing the number of people waiting at the registration counter. At present an average 10,480 patients visit each government hospital in Bihar per month, Singh said. Official sources said that patients and their attendants can make the online registration through respective websites of medical colleges and related hospitals.
Singh said the BHPC will be registered under Society Registration Act, 1860, Singh said adding that the cabinet meeting also approved its by-laws for the purpose. Identified families from weaker section of the society will be given insurance protection cover of Rs 5 lakh per family under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, he said.
The cabinet also approved the ‘Mukhyamantri Gram Parivahan’ scheme to provide better and increased connectivity between panchayat to block headquarters. The objective of the scheme is to ensure better transport facility apart from creating job opportunities for the unemployed people belonging to scheduled caste, scheduled tribe and extremely backward class, Singh said. Under the scheme, the government will give grant of upto 50 per cent of the vehicle’s cost with maximum limit of Rs 1 lakh, he said adding that the grant will be available on the purchase of five passenger vehciles in every panchayat.