Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey. Telegraph picture

Bhagalpur, Feb. 11: Health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey has confirmed that the services of all 1,600 doctors earlier appointed on contract basis have been regularised by the state government.

He said the government would fill up the vacancies of doctors at all the additional primary health centres (PHCs) by March 2011.

Besides, in the coming six months, neurosurgery and nephrology departments would start functioning at JLNMC hospital in Bhagalpur and Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur.

Soon after the flag-off ceremony of the Bhagalpur-Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express train here yesterday, Choubey told The Telegraph: “The services of temporary doctors posted at different hospitals and medical colleges, who have completed two years term, have been regularised.”

He said the government is aiming to bring down the annual death figures of newborns and mothers. He assured the people that special measures would be taken in this regard from the next financial year.

Choubey said people from rural areas would be given more importance in terms of health facilities and added that the government has decided to make Bihar a polio-free state. Special programmes would be initiated from the next financial year in this regard.

He said the government would focus on 42 blocks, which were considered sensitive for polio cases. He added that the government in the coming five years would free Bihar of malnutrition.

According to Choubey, the ongoing Gram Sanstha Chetna Yatra that started on January 28 would conclude in Bhagalpur on February 25.

He said during the concluding ceremony of the function, a three-day long Sanstha Mahakumbh would be organised at Bhagalpur from February 25. “Doctors from AIIMS and from abroad will attend the function and will conduct health check-ups.”