Armed with a budgetary allocation of about Rs 3,058 crore for the 2012-2013 financial year, the health department is aiming at strengthening the infrastructure of health hubs across the state.

In the current fiscal, the state aims to spend Rs 627.06 crore and Rs 2,058.77 crore under plan and non-plan heads, respectively. On the other hand, Rs 372.14 crore will be spent under various centrally sponsored health schemes.

Besides, the state will receive about Rs 1,100 crore as part of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). This means that the total funds available with the department will be about Rs 4,000 crore.

Principal secretary (health) Amarjeet Sinha, told The Telegraph: “With Bihar State Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation functional now, we will put more emphasis on putting up necessary physical infrastructure for two upcoming medical colleges and converting 399 six-bedded primary health centres (PHCs) into 30-bed hospitals.”

“In the current financial year, we have earmarked Rs 300 crore for health schemes. The amount will be spent as 15 per cent share in NRHM. Besides, Rs 357.06 crore will be spent on the construction of medical colleges in Bettiah and Madhepura. Greater emphasis will be laid on constructing four-storeyed residential quarters for doctors and other hospital employees at the block-level. Plans are afoot to construct at least 30 such units,” Sinha said.

He added that the government also wanted to introduce surgical facilities at more government hospitals on a priority basis.

The state also set its focus on schemes like new generation health card scheme, population stabilisation and bringing down maternal and infant mortality rates.

Caesarean sections are at present being carried out at 149 hospitals in the state. The department aims to start these surgeries in at least 59 more hospitals this year.

Currently only six district-level hospitals have intensive care units, while the facility is expected to start in all 38 districts by June this year.

Experts said this year’s budget is substantially higher than the 2011-12 budget, which was Rs 2,724. 60 crore. It is too little to make any considerable changes.

“The budget allocated for the health department is just over 3 per cent of the total state budget and the sum earmarked for the plan head is too little. This means the government is not spending much on new and upcoming facilities,” a senior medical practitioner said.