The RJD's Munger MLA got a taste of the state's health scenario when he landed at a local government hospital to get his blood pressure checked on Monday.

An enraged Bijoy Kumar Bijoy told reporters on Tuesday that he has decided to call up health minister Tej Pratap Yadav to apprise him of the pathetic condition at the hospital.

The provocation? When the MLA felt under the weather on Monday morning, he rushed to the hospital, accompanied by wife Asha Kumari, to get his blood pressure checked. The couple reached the hospital around 11.15am and had to return around half-an-hour later without getting the pressure checked.

Much to their chagrin, the on-duty doctor told the couple that both sphygmomanometers (instruments to measure blood pressure) at the hospital were not in working condition. Hearing that, the MLA lost his cool. He immediately called up Munger district magistrate (DM) Uday Kumar Singh and civil surgeon Srinath and briefed them about the poor condition of the hospital.

The DM directed the civil surgeon to inspect the hospital. Srinath visited the hospital on Tuesday morning and inspected the emergency ward where patients land up to get their blood pressure checked. Srinath, too, found that both sphygmomanometers were not working.

He directed the doctors and paramedics to replace the defective instruments. The order was complied with at lightning speed. The civil surgeon later told The Telegraph that 40 sphygmomanometers were available at the hospital store, but because of the deputy superintendent's negligence the defective ones had not been replaced. Repeated efforts to speak to Munger sadar hospital deputy superintendent Rakesh Sinha proved futile. His family members said he was out of station.

Taking notice of Monday's incident, DM Uday directed the civil surgeon to take necessary steps to improve functioning of the hospital.