RTI for Bihar Health Department: PMJAY, Ayushman Bihar & Government Hospitals

Bihar carries one of India's heaviest burdens of maternal and child mortality, and its public health system — spanning more than 9,000 government health facilities including Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Additional Primary Health Centres (APHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), referral hospitals, and apex institutions like PMCH (Patna Medical College and Hospital) and NMCH (Nalanda Medical College and Hospital, Patna) — is the primary recourse for crores of citizens who cannot afford private care. The Right to Information Act, 2005 gives any citizen the power to obtain records from the Bihar Health Department, its Directorate of Health Services, district Civil Surgeons, and allied bodies — including data on scheme implementation, drug procurement, facility quality, and financial assistance.

The primary health financing scheme for Bihar residents is PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) under Ayushman Bharat, which provides up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary hospitalisation at empanelled public and private hospitals. Bihar has supplemented this with a state component often branded as Ayushman Bihar. For patients whose treatment costs exceed PMJAY coverage or who are not covered under PMJAY, the Mukhyamantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh provides financial assistance of up to ₹5 lakh for life-threatening conditions to non-PMJAY families. Drug and equipment procurement for government facilities is managed by BMSICL (Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited), whose supply chain performance directly determines whether medicines are available at your local PHC or CHC.

NHM Bihar (National Health Mission) funds a wide range of components — maternal and child health, communicable disease control, free diagnostics, free drugs, and the ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) worker programme. Bihar's high MMR is a critical governance concern; high-burden districts include Sheikhpura, Supaul, and Jamui, where institutional delivery rates and JSY payment compliance remain important accountability metrics.

What Information Can You Seek?

• PMJAY enrollment and claims: District and block-wise PMJAY eligible family counts versus Ayushman cards issued, hospitalisation claim approval and rejection data, hospital-wise reimbursement paid by SHA (State Health Agency)
• Mukhyamantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh: Applications received, amounts sanctioned and disbursed, rejections with reasons, and pending cases district-wise
• Drug availability and BMSICL procurement: Stock registers at PHCs/CHCs/district hospitals, BMSICL indent and supply records, stock-out incident logs, expiry waste data, and disciplinary action taken for drug shortage
• Hospital quality and inspections: IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards) compliance audits, facility inspection reports, patient complaint registers, infrastructure gap assessments, and action-taken reports
• Maternal health — JSY and MMR: Janani Suraksha Yojana cash incentive payment records for mothers and ASHA workers, unpaid JSY cases and reasons, district-wise institutional delivery rates, MMR data, and NHM Bihar's corrective action plans for high-burden districts
• Free diagnostics: Utilisation records of free lab and radiology services under NHM at district and referral hospitals, equipment downtime records, and unresolved patient complaints

How to File RTI

File online at rtionline.gov.in — select the Bihar Health Department or the relevant District Health Office from the public authority list, and pay the ₹10 fee online. BPL cardholders attach a self-attested BPL card copy to claim fee exemption. For district-level records (drug availability at a specific PHC/CHC, JSY payment data in a block, PMJAY enrollment in a district), file with the CPIO, Office of the Civil Surgeon of the relevant district. For state-level consolidated data, policy documents, or BMSICL procurement records, file with the CPIO, Directorate of Health Services, Bihar, Patna. If online access is not available, send the application by registered post with an Indian Postal Order (IPO) for ₹10.

Key RTI Act Provisions

The Bihar Health Department and all its subordinate offices are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005. Section 6 governs application filing. Section 7(1) requires a response within 30 days; the Section 7(1) proviso reduces this to 48 hours for information concerning the life or liberty of a person — highly relevant for emergency treatment denials or drug availability at hospitals. Section 20 empowers the BSIC to impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on a defaulting CPIO and to recommend disciplinary action.

First Appeal

If the CPIO does not respond within 30 days, or the response is incomplete or unsatisfactory, file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable, with the First Appellate Authority — typically the Additional Director or Joint Director, Health Services — in the relevant office. No fee is payable for a First Appeal.

Second Appeal

If the First Appellate Authority also fails to respond satisfactorily, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act with the Bihar State Information Commission (BSIC), Patna — constituted under Section 15 of the RTI Act by the Governor of Bihar. The Second Appeal must be filed within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of its response period. Do not file with the Central Information Commission (CIC) — the Bihar Health Department and all its subordinate offices including the Civil Surgeon's offices and BMSICL are state public authorities, and the CIC has no jurisdiction over them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which office handles RTI for Bihar Health Department? The State Public Information Officer at the Directorate of Health Services in Patna handles state-level RTI. For district matters, file with the Civil Surgeon (District Health Officer) of the respective district.

Can RTI reveal PMJAY Ayushman enrollment gaps in Bihar? Yes. RTI can provide district/block-wise PMJAY enrollment vs. eligible family data, reasons for exclusion of specific households, and whether Ayushman cards were distributed or pending at government offices.

How can RTI help with medicine shortages at Bihar government hospitals? RTI can reveal drug stock registers at PHC/CHC/district hospitals, BMSICL supply chain data, stock-out logs, and disciplinary action taken against responsible officers.

What is the first appeal process for Bihar Health RTI? File a First Appeal under Section 19(1) within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period with the First Appellate Authority (Additional Director or Joint Director, Health Services).

Where do I file a second appeal for Bihar Health RTI? Second appeals go to the Bihar State Information Commission (BSIC) in Patna — not the Central Information Commission.

Can RTI help track Janani Suraksha Yojana payments in Bihar? Yes. RTI can reveal whether JSY cash incentives were properly paid to mothers after institutional delivery, ASHA facilitation payments, reasons for delay, and district-wise JSY data.