“Not Satisfied With Answer”: Bihar MLA Maithili Thakur Questions Health Minister on Hospitals

During Bihar’s Budget Session, MLA Maithili Thakur questioned the Health Minister over poor healthcare infrastructure, citing a dilapidated hospital in her constituency and disputing claims that it only needed repairs.

During the ongoing Bihar Legislative Assembly Budget Session, Maithili Thakur, the BJP MLA from Alinagar, put the spotlight back on the poor state of government healthcare infrastructure in her constituency and across the state, sharply questioning the Health Minister’s explanation on Monday. The exchange highlighted long-standing concerns about neglected facilities, budgetary gaps, and the absence of basic services in public hospitals.

Thakur — a first-term MLA who entered politics after winning the 2025 Bihar Assembly election — rose to national attention for her direct approach in assembly debates. At the heart of her questioning was the dilapidated condition of a government hospital building in her constituency, where plaster was reportedly falling from ceilings, walls bore deep cracks, and rainwater leaked into wards — all while patients, including pregnant women and children, continued to receive treatment there.

Despite this graphic description of unsafe conditions, Thakur expressed her dissatisfaction with the written response provided by Health Minister Mangal Pandey, which had stated the building did not require urgent rebuilding and only needed repairs. She dismissed that response as disconnected from reality, arguing that the structure was far from safe and posed a direct threat to patient lives.

“I am not satisfied with the answer,” Thakur told the House, emphasizing that she had personally visited the hospital and seen the true condition of the building, directly contradicting the minister’s written statement. She also raised concerns about the shortage of MBBS doctors — noting that her hospital previously had two doctors, but presently had none — and questioned why services were run in such unsafe environments despite yearly increases in health budgets.

Her line of questioning quickly turned the atmosphere in the assembly tense, with opposition MLAs applauding her tough stance while some members of the ruling party appeared uncomfortable. The Speaker eventually intervened to steer the session forward after the vigorous exchange.

Thakur’s detailed critique — juxtaposing the administrative response with ground realities — has since gone viral on social media, with many praising her courage in holding her own government accountable and addressing an issue that affects ordinary citizens at the grassroots level. Users highlighted that unsafe hospital buildings and lack of staff were not concerns confined to just one facility, but were symptomatic of broader healthcare challenges in Bihar and across India.

The Health Minister defended his stance by saying the state government was serious about improving infrastructure. He stated that new buildings have been approved for several hospitals, with construction underway in some areas, and that hospitals with dangerously dilapidated buildings had been identified for phased repair or renovation. However, Thakur countered that in her region, no tangible progress had been visible despite repeated assurances and that “only talk of planning and approvals” without execution was insufficient.

Her intervention also touched public sentiment about the broader state of government hospitals, bringing attention to issues like staff shortages, risky infrastructure, and delayed implementation of projects that directly impact patient safety and accessibility to care. Political commentators note that raising such frontline service issues during a high-stakes Budget Session not only puts pressure on the government but also signals a growing demand for accountability and real change in public service delivery, especially healthcare.

Overall, this episode illustrates evolving expectations from elected representatives, who are increasingly seeking not just political answers but actionable solutions to systemic problems — reinforcing the idea that policy implementation on the ground must match written pledges and budget increases.