Bihar expands medical safety net, raises income limit for treatment aid
The Bihar government has revised the income eligibility criteria for the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund, raising the annual limit to Rs 4 lakh and widening access to financial assistance for patients undergoing critical medical treatment.
The Bihar government on Wednesday raised the annual income eligibility limit under the Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund (CMAF) from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, expanding access to financial support for patients requiring medical treatment. The decision was approved at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary.
Announcing the decision, Health Minister Nishant said the revised income ceiling would enable a larger number of patients suffering from serious illnesses to avail financial assistance from the state government for costly medical procedures.
"The increase in the income limit will ensure that more deserving families can benefit from the scheme and access quality healthcare without facing financial hardship," a health department official said.
The Chief Minister's Medical Assistance Fund was launched in 2006 during the tenure of then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with the objective of providing financial support to poor patients requiring expensive treatment.
Under the scheme, beneficiaries can receive assistance for major medical procedures such as heart surgeries, kidney transplants, cancer treatment and other critical healthcare services at government and empanelled hospitals.
Government data showed the growing reliance on the scheme. During the financial year 2024-25, around 27,890 patients received assistance amounting to Rs 216.75 crore.
In 2025-26, up to March, financial aid worth Rs 202.63 crore was provided to 25,731 patients. In April 2026 alone, 2,028 beneficiaries received support worth Rs 17.79 crore.
The cabinet also cleared a proposal allowing the Water Resources Department to carry out land-filling and ground-levelling work at the upcoming AIIMS Darbhanga site using soil and silt extracted during the desilting of nearby rivers.
The cabinet approved the required funds for the exercise.
The new AIIMS is being developed near the Shobhan-Ekmi bypass in Darbhanga district and will be Bihar's second All India Institute of Medical Sciences after AIIMS Patna.
The institute is planned as a major healthcare hub, featuring an over 800-bed super-speciality hospital, a medical college, a nursing college, and several specialised treatment departments.