Patna: Health minister Nishant Kumar on Wednesday said journalists are free to report from state government hospitals, including Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH), asserting that media reporting is a constitutional right and that there is no ban on such coverage.
The minister made the statement while speaking to reporters amid a controversy over alleged restrictions on journalists and harassment at PMCH. “It is the constitutional right of journalists to report. They can definitely report from PMCH,” Nishant said.
Earlier this month, a TOI photojournalist allegedly faced harassment at IGIMS when security personnel confined him to a security control room, threatened him and forced him to delete photographs taken while documenting fire-safety infrastructure on the campus.
In another recent incident at PMCH, journalists and media personnel alleged assault and obstruction while carrying out reporting assignments on the hospital premises, raising concerns over media access to public healthcare institutions.
Minister’s Directions on Hospital Improvements
The minister also spoke about conditions in government hospitals across the state and said civil surgeons had been directed to address deficiencies in their respective districts. He said he had instructed district health authorities to improve operation theatres and other facilities and ensure that complaints related to hospital functioning were resolved.
Nishant said treatment for relatively common ailments requiring procedures such as gall bladder and kidney stone surgeries should be available at the district level, and patients should be referred to Patna only for specialised procedures such as open-heart surgeries and knee replacement operations.
He added that doctors posted in districts would be provided specialised training under senior doctors in the state. “The focus is to treat patients and manage diseases primarily at sadar and district hospitals, referring them to Patna only for specialised procedures,” he said.
Union Minister Reviews PMCH Redevelopment
Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also reviewed the ongoing redevelopment of PMCH on Wednesday and said the institution symbolised a “changing Bihar and a changing India”.
