PATNA, Nov. 4 -- Bihar has upgraded 135 primary health centres (PHCs) across the state into 30-bed community health centres (CHCs), deploying specialist doctors to improve healthcare access in rural areas, according to a press release issued by the state health department on Tuesday. The health department issued a notification on Tuesday, formalising the upgrade. The centres will be developed as specialised healthcare facilities under the state government's Saat Nishchay-3 programme. Each centre will have specialists in orthopaedics, ophthalmology and ear, nose and throat (ENT), besides general physicians and other medical staff. The Bihar government has earmarked 47 posts across 24 categories for each CHC to ensure smooth functioning. These include posts of deputy superintendent, specialist and general doctors, general nursing and midwifery (GNM) nurses, senior pharmacists, laboratory technicians, physiotherapists and hospital management staff. The existing posts of dental hygienist and dresser will also be retained, with one post each at every centre. The upgraded facilities are spread across all 38 districts, including Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga, Purnia, Bhagalpur, Araria, Aurangabad, Begusarai, Bhojpur, Gopalganj, Katihar, Madhubani, Samastipur and Vaishali. The upgrade is aimed to bring advanced treatment closer to rural communities and reduce patients' dependence on district hospitals and larger cities, particularly for specialised medical care, the press release said....