PATNA, June 22 -- The state health department is planning large-scale plantation and green zone development at government health institutions in Bihar to reduce temperatures on hospital premises, officials said on Sunday. To achieve this, it will soon develop a comprehensive environmental sustainability strategy. State Health Society, Bihar (SHSB) on Friday invited key government departments and partner organisations for a consultative meeting at its office in Patna on June 25 to prepare an integrated action plan for landscaping, environmental improvement and climate-resilient healthcare facilities. Amit Kumar Pandey, SHSB executive director (ED), tasked additional ED Kumar Gaurav with driving the project which aims to reduce the urban heat island effect in Bihar's hot and humid climate. However, Gaurav was transferred as the district magistrate of Muzaffarpur, according to a notification on Thursday. One key proposal under consideration is planting trees and plants across hospital campuses to create green zones and improve the overall ambience of public health institutions. Neem, Peepal, Banyan, Ashoka, Arjun and Kadamba are among the varieties being considered. Officials said the best heat-reducing plants are those that provide dense shade, high transpiration (release of water vapour) and good canopy cover. The initiative aims to make hospitals more patient-friendly, environmentally sustainable, and comfortable for patients, attendants and health workers. The plan includes landscaping health facilities, water conservation and reuse of treated wastewater for maintaining green areas. The SHSB aims to develop a coordinated roadmap with inputs from departments dealing with forests, urban infrastructure, pollution control, horticulture and environmental conservation. Representatives from the Forest Department, Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation, Bihar State Pollution Control Board, Bihar Medical Services and Infrastructure Corporation Limited, Horticulture Directorate and the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Mission have been convened for the consultation. Several development partners, including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNDP, Piramal Swasthya, NIPI, PCI, Jhpiego, PHFI, PSI India, JSI and CFAR, have also been invited to the consultation meeting scheduled this week to contribute technical suggestions for the proposed environmental sustainability framework. Officials said that the large-scale plantation and green zone development is aimed at improving the physical environment of public health institutions in the state while promoting climate-sensitive infrastructure and sustainable resource management practices across Bihar's healthcare network. Meanwhile, Bihar moves ahead with expansion of medical education and healthcare infrastructure. It plans to establish 17 medical college hospitals as greenfield projects and hand over the operation and management of 16 existing or upcoming institutions to private operators under a brownfield model. * Public health facilities across the nation have large open spaces but poor organisation and inadequate maintenance often lead to uncontrolled growth of grass and weeds as well as open urination and defecation, and grazing areas by cattle. * Low-lying land areas and inefficient landscaping result in waterlogging, creating mosquito breeding zones. These open spaces are also used as dumping grounds for biomedical waste, increasing the risk of hospital-acquired infections. * To develop a healing model of gardening in hospitals and a play area for paediatric patients so they become more at ease with hospital surroundings and experiences, making them feel less anxious, thereby improving the quality of care. * To efficiently manage open areas by removing unwanted growth of grass and weeds, addressing waterlogged and dumping areas, eliminating open defecation zones, and preventing the entry of animals and cattle into hospital premises....