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NEW DELHI: Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday accused the NDA government in Bihar of presiding over a collapse in public healthcare after inspecting Purnea’s Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH). He pointed to patients sharing beds, toilets unfit for use, and bedsheets not changed for weeks, calling the situation a sign of “double jungle raj” under the ruling alliance. His remarks came a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to the state.Tejashwi visited GMCH on Saturday night and shared visuals of his inspection on X. He wrote, “Last night, a surprise inspection was conducted at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Purnea. Watch a glimpse of the deplorable state of the healthcare system under 20 years of NDA in the video.”He highlighted the absence of an ICU, non-functional trauma and cardiology departments, and unclean toilets. He also said multiple patients were being made to share single beds. “This is a medical college and hospital, but there is no ICU here. The trauma centre is not operational. There is no cardiology department, i.e., no heart disease department. Three patients are made to lie on a single bed. Bedsheets of patients are not changed even after 15-20 days. The toilets for patients with orthopaedic issues and those requiring disability-related surgeries are two feet high. There is absolutely no cleanliness,” he wrote. The RJD leader claimed that only 55 nurses were working at the hospital in three shifts, against a sanctioned strength of 255. He alleged that 80% of doctors’ posts were vacant, with just four OT assistants for the entire hospital. He added that several departments were closed, professors existed “only in name,” and medical interns had not been paid for six months. “GMCH is a Medical College Hospital, but out of the sanctioned 255 nurse posts, only 55 nurses are working, and that too in three shifts. This means only 18 nurses are on duty at a time. If some are on leave, the number is even lower. 80 per cent of the doctor posts at GMCH are vacant. There is not a single permanent dresser at GMCH. The entire college and hospital have only four OT assistants. Many of the 23 departments are closed. Professors and assistant professors are present only in name. Medical interns have not received their salaries for 6 months,” he stated.Yadav also alleged corruption in the construction of hospital buildings and the purchase of medical equipment. He said poor staffing and lack of facilities were forcing around 10,000 patients in Purnea to seek private treatment daily. “The corrupt ministers and officials of the NDA government spend thousands of crores of rupees just to build structures, eating commissions in corruption, but they do not appoint doctors, healthcare workers, lab technicians, dressers, assistants, etc. They purchase medical equipment worth thousands of crores for commissions but do not hire technicians to operate them,” he said.Ahead of PM Modi’s visit, Tejashwi took a dig at the Centre and the state government, referring to them as “double jungle raj.” He said, “Tomorrow, Prime Minister Modi ji is coming to Purnea in Seemanchal to shower rhetoric. Despite occupying such a high position, will he not see the massive shortcomings of his 20 years of governance in Bihar and 11 years at the centre under the double-engine government before indulging in petty and small talk?”He added, “Prime Minister Modi ji will surely give a sermon on the corruption, unemployment, poverty, failures of the NDA government, looting of the poor in the name of treatment, and the deplorable state of education and healthcare systems, as well as the double jungle raj of the double-engine government in Bihar over the past 20 years.”Calling on the PM to visit GMCH with CM Nitish Kumar, he said, “Prime Minister ji, please do visit this medical college in Purnea tomorrow and make sure to bring along the Chief Minister from 2005 onwards; otherwise, he will say, was there anything before 2005?”The Prime Minister is scheduled to inaugurate the Purnea Airport on September 15 and address a public rally at Shishabari village, where people from Purnia, Katihar, Araria, and Kishanganj districts are expected to attend. Go to Source
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