PATNA, Oct. 5 -- The Bihar health department has stepped up its drive to improve the upkeep, patient facilities and quality of services at government health institutions, with work already underway at 250 of the 598 facilities prioritised across the state as of October 1, said health officials on Sunday. The department has set November 30 as the deadline for completing work related to painting, minor repairs and other essential patient facilities. The initiative is part of the 'Seva Sankalp and Kayakalp Abhiyan' aimed at improving the overall functioning and appearance of government health facilities. The department has identified 611 government health institutions for the exercise. These include district hospitals, sub-divisional and referral hospitals, community health centres, primary health centres, urban PHCs, additional PHCs and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Of these, 604 have held Rogi Kalyan Samiti meetings, while 598 institutions have been prioritised for the improvement work. Work has commenced at 250 facilities by October 1, said health officials. West Champaran, Saharsa, Muzaffarpur and Kaimur are among the slowest-moving districts. Work is yet to begin at any of the 20 selected health facilities in West Champaran, 17 in Muzaffarpur, 12 in Kaimur and 11 in Saharsa. In Khagaria, work has started at only one of the nine selected facilities. Similarly, work has begun at just two facilities each in Nawada (18 selected), Madhepura (15), Banka (12) and Munger (10). In contrast, Aurangabad and Supaul have initiated work at all 13 selected facilities, while Lakhisarai has covered all eight. Work has started at 13 of 14 facilities in Purnia, six of seven in Kishanganj and eight of 10 in Araria. Under the plan, district hospitals will receive Rs.10 lakh each for painting, minor repairs and other essential works. Sub-divisional, referral hospitals and CHCs will get Rs.5 lakh each. PHCs will receive Rs.1.75 lakh, urban PHCs Rs.1 lakh, additional PHCs Rs.75,000 and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs Rs.30,000. "The initiative is not limited to cosmetic improvements. It seeks to ensure assured patient facilitation and assured clinical services at government health institutions, with services available on time and with improved quality," Bihar's health secretary Kumar Ravi said. The department has also asked health institutions to ensure greater involvement of Rogi Kalyan Samitis and Jan Arogya Samitis in monitoring and supervision. Regular inspections will be carried out to assess progress. Another focus will be standardised digitisation of health services and data analysis to improve monitoring and decision-making. The department also plans to publicise assured clinical services through television, flexes and display boards at health facilities. "The department has set a clear timeline for the exercise, with the upkeep and essential works as well as assured patient facilitation targeted for completion by November 30," Ravi added....