The latest report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has exposed alarming irregularities in Jharkhand’s healthcare sector, triggering sharp political reactions.
The audit highlights large-scale financial mismanagement, unspent COVID-19 relief funds, procurement of substandard medicines, and severe shortages of medical personnel, raising questions over the state government’s handling of public health resources.
JDU legislator and anti-corruption crusader Saryu Roy has taken the lead in demanding accountability, launching a scathing attack on the state’s health department, particularly targeting former Health Minister Banna Gupta.
Roy alleged that during Gupta’s tenure, inferior-quality medicines were procured, and COVID-19 relief funds were siphoned off. “Central funds meant for public welfare were misused. Those responsible, including the former health minister, must face strict action,” he asserted.
Roy has been vocal about irregularities in the health sector and had earlier exposed a ₹103 crore scam, in which 60 ghost employees were allegedly added to the payroll.
His continued campaign has put the state government on the defensive, though he himself has faced allegations of leaking confidential government documents.
The court, however, granted him anticipatory bail, allowing him to continue his fight against corruption.
The CAG report further reveals that as of March 2022, 2,210 out of 3,634 sanctioned medical officer posts remained vacant, along with 3,033 nursing and 864 paramedic positions. Hospitals across Dhanbad, Dumka, Gumla, Garhwa, Seraikela-Kharsawan, and Simdega reported staff shortages of up to 65%.
Six government medical colleges were also severely affected, with 45% of faculty positions lying vacant.
The report also states that the Jharkhand government failed to fully utilize COVID-19 relief funds allocated by the Centre. Of the ₹756.42 crore available, only ₹436.97 crore—just 32%—was spent. Similarly, ₹539.56 crore out of ₹754.61 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund remained unutilized until February 2022.
As a result, crucial pandemic infrastructure projects—including RT-PCR labs, pediatric care centers, and oxygen plants—either faced delays or were never completed.
BJP state president and former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi has echoed Roy’s concerns, calling for a white paper on the last five years of governance.
“The CAG findings confirm our fears—financial mismanagement, corruption, and loot defined the Hemant Soren government. The state must clarify where these funds vanished,” he said.
Further fueling concerns, the CAG report flags ₹19,125 crore in government expenditure without utilization certificates, raising serious questions about transparency and accountability.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari, however, dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. “Despite the pandemic’s challenges, we strengthened healthcare infrastructure. The opposition is distorting facts,” he stated.
Adding to the controversy, the audit uncovered discrepancies in welfare schemes. In a startling finding, women in Bokaro and Dhanbad received maternity benefits for a second childbirth within months of the first, exposing loopholes in the implementation of maternal welfare programs.
With Saryu Roy and the BJP intensifying their offensive and the government on the defensive, the healthcare crisis is set to dominate Jharkhand’s political discourse in the coming weeks.