Three doctors at Bihar's Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Hospital, known as LNJP, are facing scrutiny after Health Minister Nishant Kumar's surprise inspection exposed serious lapses in patient care. The state health department has issued show cause notices to all three doctors over separate allegations and has asked each of them to respond within seven days.
The July 7 Inspection That Triggered the Action
Nishant Kumar visited LNJP Hospital on July 7 and reviewed the facility's overall functioning, including how doctors were attending duty and the quality of services being provided to patients. The visit uncovered multiple irregularities, prompting the health department to move quickly and begin the process of holding the responsible doctors accountable.
Three Different Allegations, Three Different Doctors
According to the notices issued by the department, Dr. Shyam Kishore has been accused of referring patients who came to the hospital for treatment to his own private clinic instead, a practice considered a serious breach for a doctor employed in government service. Dr. Rajkishore Roushan, meanwhile, was found absent from the hospital altogether at the time of the inspection. The third doctor, Dr. Amarnath Prasad, has been accused of failing to conduct regular ward rounds and not adequately monitoring admitted patients, a lapse that can delay treatment and put patients at greater risk.
Seven Days to Respond
The notices direct all three doctors to submit their explanations within seven days. The health department has made it clear that if any of the responses are found unsatisfactory, further action will follow as per the applicable rules. In other words, the notices are only the first step, and what happens next will depend on how each doctor responds.
A Wider Crackdown on Government Hospitals
This is not an isolated case. Nishant Kumar has been carrying out repeated surprise inspections of government hospitals across the state, and has been quick to act whenever lapses come to light. The state government maintains that ensuring timely and quality treatment for patients is its top priority, and says complaints of doctors staying absent, referring patients to private clinics, or failing to monitor wards properly will now be treated seriously. The health department believes such action will push government hospitals toward greater accountability and ultimately benefit ordinary patients who depend on these facilities.
