Begusarai: The Health Minister of Bihar, Mangal Pandey, is facing controversy for wearing a 'shoe cover' on his head instead of a proper surgical cap, during his visit to the Sadar Hospital in Begusarai.
Reportedly, the health workers at the facility had placed a 'shoe cover' on the Minister's head. This raised serious concerns regarding the hospital's protocols and the training of the hospital staff.
The incident took place on Saturday when the Minister was preparing to take the tour of the ICU ward at the hospital. Soon, the photographs of the moment spread like fire on social media platforms showing how the Minister wore a 'shoe cover' meant for covering footwear at the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Sports Minister Surendra Mehta and District Magistrate Tushar Single were seen not wearing any safety kit at all and were criticised for the same.
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Criticizing the Minister, an X (formerly Twitter) user wrote, "This is Mangal Pandey, Health Minister of Bihar. The responsibility of the health of Bihar is on their shoulders, but they do not even know the difference between Shoe Cover and Head Cover."
"Bihar BJP's Health Minister Mangal Pandey was inspecting hospitals in Bihar. He got confused with the disposable shoe cover, and used it to cover his head, thinking it was a surgical head cover," wrote another X user, mocking the situation.
As per the latest media report by News 18, critics, especially from the opposition party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), referred to the situation and claimed that it indicated the systemic failures in the healthcare system of the State. Condemning the incident as an embarrassment for the State's administration, RJD Spokesperson Mrityunjay Tiwari mentioned that the situation reflected the dire state of hospitals in Bihar. He also questioned that if this is how the health minister was treated, one can only imagine the conditions faced by the general public.
Meanwhile, responding to the backlash, Janata Dal (United) leaders defended both the minister and the health workers and referred to the incident as a "human error". JDU spokesperson Arvind Nishad criticized the RJD for politicizing the situation and emphasized that Bihar's healthcare had improved under the current government.
He claimed that during the RJD rein, hospitals were overrun by stray animals and under Nitish Kumar's rule, patients and ministers alike were visiting the hospitals.
Defending the Health Minister, BJP Spokesperson Neeraj Kumar explained that similar materials were used for shoe covers and surgical caps and argued that the health minister was focused on important work, including a new initiative for platelet treatments in Begusarai. Kumar also pointed out that such initiatives will enhance dengue treatment and benefit, in turn, the local population.
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