With state assembly elections coming up, the Bihar Cabinet has taken a big step to improve medical education. The government approved a plan on Tuesday to raise the monthly stipend for students in government-run medical and dentistry colleges, as well as those in ayurveda, unani, and homoeopathy schools. The Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also gave the go-ahead to open seven new medical colleges in the state.
After the meeting, Arvind Kumar Chaudhary, the Cabinet Secretariat Additional Chief Secretary, said, “A proposal to raise the monthly stipend of interns in the state’s government medical, dental, ayurvedic, unani, and homoeopathy colleges has been approved.”
Interns in medical, dental, and other traditional medicine colleges, as well as foreign medical graduates, would now get a monthly stipend of Rs 27,000, which is a big jump from the old Rs 20,000. The pay for interns in physiotherapy and acupressure will also go up, from Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 a month.
The Cabinet also agreed to build seven new medical colleges as part of a plan to improve healthcare infrastructure and education. The districts of Kishanganj, Katihar, Rohtas, Sheohar, Lakhisarai, Arwal, and Sheikhpura will have these schools. The elections for the Bihar assembly will be later this year.