The Delhi High Court has expressed serious concern over the shortage of doctors and other medical staff in government hospitals across the Capital, observing that hospitals are facing enormous difficulty in recruiting necessary personnel and directing the Delhi Government to address the vacancies through a centralised and time-bound recruitment process.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora was hearing proceedings concerning the functioning of 38 government hospitals across Delhi. The Court was considering a status report filed by the Delhi Government pursuant to its earlier directions concerning hospital administration, recruitment, ICU availability, referral coordination and utilisation of medical equipment.
The Court noted that the status report made it clear that government hospitals were facing substantial difficulties in recruiting doctors and other necessary staff and that there was no uniform HR policy of the Delhi Government to address the recruitment requirements.
The Bench directed the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, GNCTD, to address recruitment in a centralised manner, instead of allowing hospitals to undertake recruitment independently on a contractual basis.
The Court observed that vacancies from the top to the bottom of the hospital administration needed to be filled in a manner that ensured consistency, clarity and permanency. It further remarked that contractual employment cannot be the answer to all problems, noting that continued reliance on contractual staff could result in high attrition and also block promotion avenues for existing employees.
The Bench also noted that, despite a meeting having been held on the issue, it did not appear that any recruitment, including contractual recruitment, had taken place thereafter.
The Court directed the Secretaries of Health and Family Welfare and Services, GNCTD, to hold a fresh meeting with the Medical Superintendents/Medical Directors of all 38 hospitals. The Delhi Government has been directed to prepare a comprehensive chart showing the sanctioned strength, filled posts and vacancies at various levels in each hospital and prescribe a strict timeline for recruitment.
Where the posts of Medical Superintendent, Medical Director or Director are vacant, the Court directed that regular full-time appointments be made. If the recruitment process takes time, a senior faculty member or senior doctor is to be given charge within 15 days from the date of the joint meeting. The Court made it clear that there should not be a single vacant MS/MD/Director post at the top of any of the 38 government hospitals, including society-run hospitals.
The Court also examined the functioning of the 102 CATS helpline, which has been designated as the common helpline for emergency services and enquiries relating to ICU bed availability across government hospitals in Delhi. The Delhi Government informed the Court that the CATS control room had been provided access to the ICU Dashboard and that its staff had been trained to provide real-time information regarding ICU beds.
During the hearing, the Court itself made calls to the 102 helpline. Although the initial calls were not attended, an operator subsequently accessed the ICU Dashboard and provided information regarding ICU availability in government hospitals. The Court, however, noted that there was a shortage of ICU beds even in major government hospitals, including LNJP Hospital and Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.
The Bench was informed that the helpline presently has 30 lines and 30 operators, while receiving approximately 2,200 calls per day, with at least 500 call drops every day. The Court directed the Head of Operations, CATS, to prepare data for at least one month on the number of calls received and dropped each day and assess the additional lines and operators required to make the service more efficient.
The Court also took note of deficiencies in coordination when patients are referred from one government hospital to another. It had earlier directed that referral coordinators be appointed as a focal point for such transfers, particularly to avoid loss of crucial time for patients requiring urgent medical attention.
Upon examining the list submitted by the Delhi Government, the Bench found that only one referral coordinator had been nominated in 37 of the 38 hospitals. Considering that doctors generally work in eight-to-10-hour shifts, the Court observed that there ought to be at least three referral coordinators round the clock to facilitate patients being referred from one hospital to another and directed that the list be updated accordingly.
The Bench further examined the issue of medical equipment lying unused in government hospitals. It noted that different hospitals appeared to be adopting varying interpretations of what constituted unused equipment and directed the Delhi Government to file a further status report concerning MRI, CT Scan, PET Scan and USG machines, including details of the hospitals where such equipment is available and whether adequate manpower exists to operate them.
The Court clarified that equipment would be treated as unused if it is not available for use by patients on a daily basis with proper manpower. Merely being used by consultants on a random basis would not constitute utilisation of the equipment.
The Medical Superintendents/Directors of all 38 hospitals have been directed to join the proceedings on the next date. The heads of LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, DDU Hospital, G.B. Pant Hospital and Sanjay Gandhi Hospital, identified as the largest GNCTD-run hospitals, have specifically been directed to appear physically along with the Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Delhi Government.
The matter has been listed for October 10, 2026.
