Bihar Health Minister has cricket on his mind while attending meet on encephalitis

In a video, Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey, who was attending a health department meeting with Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and MoS Health Ashwini Chaubey, can be heard asking, "how many wickets have fallen?", to which someone responds "four wickets".

Muzaffarpur (Bihar): Even as Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) has claimed over 100 lives in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, state Health Minister Mangal Pandey seems to be more concerned about the game of cricket, as he was caught on camera Sunday enquiring about the cricket score for India versus Pakistan match while attending a health department meeting.

In a video, Pandey, who was attending a health department meeting to discuss the encephalitis menace in Bihar, can be herad asking, "how many wickets have fallen?", to which someone responds "four wickets".

Pandey is seen sitting next to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and MoS Health Ashwini Choubey in the video that has been doing the rounds on social media platforms and has invited a lot of criticism towards the lackadaisical attitude displayed by the minister.

On Sunday, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan had visited the state and reviewed the measures taken by the authorities to contain and manage the cases of AES, even though the casualties caused by it continue to rise.

Doctors have said that the situation has gotten worse due to the heatwave-like conditions, with at least 50 people reportedly dying because of the extreme heat conditions in Bihar.

Acute Encephalitis Syndrome, called Chamki fever in Hindi, has symptoms which resemble mild-flu conditions such as high fever, convulsions, and headaches. It is caused by herpes simplex viruses.