The Delhi High Court expressed shock after being informed that 400 ventilators and 910 oxygen concentrators are lying unused at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital.
A bench comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was informed that the equipment had been procured or donated during the COVID-19 pandemic and was now considered surplus. The equipment is part of a larger inventory of critical medical equipment lying unused across 26 government hospitals in Delhi.
The Bench also noted that GTB Hospital’s ECG machine was non-functional and that the report did not mention the availability of any other ECG machine, effectively leaving the hospital without a functioning ECG facility.
The Delhi State Cancer Institute was also flagged for having a large quantity of equipment meant for cancer diagnosis and treatment lying unused. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Ch Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan were similarly found to have a substantial portion of their equipment and machines lying idle.
The Court was hearing a suo motu matter concerning the functioning of government hospitals in Delhi. On July 3, it had directed the hospitals to provide details of equipment purchased but not put to use.
The Delhi Government subsequently placed a detailed list before the Court, attributing the non-utilisation of equipment primarily to a shortage of technically qualified manpower. In some cases, equipment was also reportedly unusable due to missing accessories or essential components. The Court expressed particular concern over specialised cancer equipment lying unused despite the substantial investment involved.
The Court criticized the failure to utilize critical cancer diagnosis and treatment equipment, pointing out that significant public money was spent on high-end machines from globally renowned manufacturers only to let them sit idle.
The Court directed the Secretary, Department of Health and Family Welfare, and the Secretary, Services, of the Delhi Government to hold a joint meeting with the medical superintendents and directors of all 26 hospitals on August 17.
The meeting will address shortages of technically qualified manpower, disposal of condemned equipment, redistribution of unused equipment among hospitals, recruitment timelines and coordination with manufacturers for missing accessories and components.
The Court was also informed about an earlier incident involving a patient, Kamar Jahan, who was allegedly denied an ICU bed at Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Hospital despite the e-HMIS portal showing availability. The Court was subsequently informed that the patient had been admitted and was receiving treatment.
Regarding a surprise audit by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) of the NextGen e-HMIS system across 38 hospitals, the Court directed that the findings be shared with the respective hospitals for their comments.
The Court also sought clarity from the Delhi Government regarding its proposal to use the existing CATS toll-free helpline for ICU bed and emergency-related enquiries, as well as the proposed role of a “Referral Coordinator” for inter-hospital referrals.
The matter will next be heard on September 18.
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