Bihar has once again claimed the top position in the country for providing free medicines to patients in government hospitals, securing the numero uno spot for the 17th consecutive month in the monthly dashboard rankings released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The state recorded a score of 80.89 points in January 2026, surpassing Rajasthan (77.65) and Punjab (71.31) to retain its national lead.

Bihar first claimed the top position in September 2024 with a score of 77.20 under the Drug and Vaccine Distribution Management System (DVDMS) Central Dashboard — the government's primary tool for evaluating how effectively states are supplying free medicines in public health facilities. Since then, the state has not relinquished the top spot once, steadily improving its score over 17 months. At the other end of the spectrum, Nagaland (28.21), Lakshadweep (29.46), and Manipur (31.02) ranked at the bottom among 29 states.

Bihar's consistent performance is underpinned by a comprehensive action plan implemented by the state health department, covering several interconnected initiatives. These include the establishment of an Essential Drug List (EDL) across hospitals and health centres, a date-wise drug prescription manual, location-wise health checkup lists, and a structured referral policy to route patients from smaller centres to larger institutions. Strict accountability measures have been enforced for drug storekeepers, hospital managers, and in-charges through the DVDMS portal, complemented by patient registration via the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (Aabha) app and dedicated medicine transport vehicles.

To enhance transparency further, QR codes have been installed at every health centre in the state, allowing patients and their families to instantly check medicine availability on their phones.

Bihar's approximately 10,626 government health centres — spanning medical colleges down to primary health sub-centres — collectively serve around 65 million patients annually. The free medicine scheme is especially impactful for the state's poor and marginalised communities, who previously struggled to afford costly medications.

The scale of availability is substantial. Medical college hospitals offer up to 611 types of medicines across OPD and IPD combined, district hospitals provide 456 types, while even the most basic health sub-centres stock 97 medicines — ensuring that essential drugs reach citizens at every level of the public health pyramid.

"Bihar's continued excellent performance is a significant and inspiring achievement," said Health Minister Mangal Pandey, crediting transparency, efficient management, and continuous monitoring for the sustained results.