The Delhi High Court has expressed profound concern over the discovery that a significant amount of critical medical equipment, including 400 ventilators and 910 oxygen concentrators, is currently unused at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital. This revelation came to light during court proceedings on August 7.
The Bench, comprising Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, learned that these ventilators and oxygen concentrators were either procured or donated during the COVID-19 pandemic but have since become surplus. The court was informed that this is part of a broader issue involving idle medical equipment across 26 government hospitals in Delhi.
“The situation at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital (GTB Hospital) is quite shocking, with 400 ventilators and 910 oxygen concentrators lying unused,” the Bench noted. The hospital reported that these items were initially required during the pandemic but are now in excess and stored away.
The Bench also highlighted the critical situation at the Delhi State Cancer Institute, where a substantial amount of equipment meant for cancer diagnosis and treatment is unused. Additionally, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital and Ch Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan were found to have nearly all their equipment lying idle.
The suo motu case, routinely monitored by the court, aims to oversee healthcare services in Delhi’s government hospitals. On July 3, the court ordered hospitals to submit details of unused purchased equipment. The state government presented a comprehensive list attributing the idle status mainly to the lack of technically qualified staff and missing accessories or vital components.
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The court remarked, “The unused equipment, critical for cancer diagnosis and treatment, appears to be manufactured by globally renowned companies. It is unclear why such equipment is allowed to remain unused after significant investments.”
In response, the court directed the secretaries of the Department of Health & Family Welfare and Services to convene a meeting with the medical superintendents and directors of the 26 hospitals on August 17. The agenda will address manpower shortages, manage condemned equipment, reallocate idle equipment, establish recruitment timelines, and coordinate with manufacturers for missing parts.
Previously, the issue of inadequate ICU beds was highlighted when a patient, Kamar Jahan, was initially denied an ICU bed at Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Hospital despite availability on the e-HMIS portal. The patient has since been admitted and is under treatment.
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The court also addressed the findings of a surprise audit by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) on the NextGen e-HMIS across 38 hospitals. Each hospital is to review the audit findings and provide feedback. Further, the court sought clarity from the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) on plans to utilize the existing CATS toll-free helpline for ICU and emergency inquiries and the proposed role of a ‘Referral Coordinator’ for inter-hospital referrals.
The court scheduled the next hearing for September 18.
