Chief minister Nitish Kumar at IMACON 2006, the IMA’s annual conference, in Patna. (PTI)

Patna, Dec. 28: Hotel rooms in the city are booked — not for a political gathering but because of a doctors’ meet.

More than 3,000 medical practitioners have descended on the Bihar capital to discuss how to make India and Indians healthy. The occasion is the annual conference of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) — IMACON 2006 — which chief minister Nitish Kumar attended on the second day today.

Nitish, who assured a “safe and healthy” visit for the doctors, urged the Medical Council of India (MCI) to help the Bihar government open a medical institute for every 20-30 lakh people. At present, the state has one medical college for a population of 1 crore.

The chief minister requested the MCI to send teams that will give objective reports on Bihar’s medical institutes. “I can only plan institutes but the final sanction rests with the MCI.”

Appealing to doctors who have left Bihar to return to a environment marked by “no fear”, Nitish said attendance at the primary healthcare centres has seen a vast improvement in recent times.

Ajay Kumar of Bihar, who replaces Sanjiv Malik as the IMA president, said “health has to find favour with politicians and planners” while expressing concern over “unequal distribution” of medical colleges.

Deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi suggested a short-term course to meet the shortage of doctors at the village level. The idea, however, was rejected by most IMA members.