August 2026 : The BJP government has ruined Delhi’s government hospitals. The hospitals meant to provide treatment to people are themselves in a state of poor health today. Patients are neither receiving medicines nor getting essential diagnostic tests. On Thursday, Aam Aadmi Party MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar visited Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital (GTB) and exposed the ground reality. AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bhardwaj shared a video of the visit on X and said that GTB Hospital, one of the Delhi government’s largest healthcare centres, is suffering from severe neglect. The situation is so concerning that people are being forced to purchase medicines and undergo tests outside the hospital.
There is a severe shortage of medicines at GTB Hospital, and patients are not receiving all the medicines prescribed by doctors. At the same time, diagnostic services are completely stalled. Essential tests and scans are not available at the hospital, forcing patients to undergo them at private laboratories outside. The difficulties faced by ordinary people coming to the hospital for treatment clearly expose the ground reality of Delhi’s government hospitals.
On Thursday, AAP MLAs Sanjeev Jha and Kuldeep Kumar visited GTB Hospital to assess the situation on the ground. After speaking to patients, they found that people were extremely troubled and distressed by the prevailing disorder at the hospital. Patients said that when doctors prescribe five medicines, only two or three are being provided by the hospital, while the remaining medicines have to be purchased from outside.
The number of medicine counters has also reportedly been reduced. As a result, counters close by the time many patients reach them, forcing them to return without medicines. Patients also said that no diagnostic tests were being conducted at the hospital and doctors were advising them to get tests done outside.
Several patients claimed that during the previous AAP government, all prescribed medicines were available at the hospital and different kinds of tests were also conducted there. They said the situation had changed significantly now.
Patients Facing Difficulties at GTB Hospital
After speaking with patients, MLA Sanjeev Jha alleged that security guards deployed at the hospital were taking Rs 100 to Rs 200 from patients and allowing them to enter doctors’ rooms directly, while those standing in queues were left waiting outside.
He also alleged that people were being told that emergency slips would have to be issued from Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, which was not the case earlier. Patients reportedly said that medicines available at Mohalla Clinics were previously better than those currently being provided at hospitals. Since the closure of Mohalla Clinics, they claimed, hospitals have been witnessing heavy crowds even for common ailments such as cough, cold and fever.
There are no diagnostic tests being conducted at the hospital. Patients are being asked to undergo ultrasounds outside, where they are reportedly being charged around Rs 1,000. Similarly, patients are being sent outside for MRI scans and X-rays. Sanjeev Jha appealed to the Health Minister and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, alleging irregularities in the procurement and distribution of medicines. He claimed that medicines purchased at inflated prices were now missing and had not reached the hospital.
BJP Government Under Fire Over GTB Hospital Conditions
AAP MLA Kuldeep Kumar said the BJP government had worsened the condition of government hospitals within just one-and-a-half years. He alleged that patients were struggling to obtain both medicines and diagnostic services at GTB Hospital.
He said people travel from distant areas to seek treatment at the hospital but are left disappointed after reaching there. According to him, medicines being distributed to patients do not carry the words “Not for Sale” and instead have maximum retail prices (MRP) printed on them. He alleged that medicines with MRP markings were deliberately being supplied, raising concerns about their possible diversion to the open market.
Kuldeep Kumar also highlighted problems with basic facilities at the hospital. A relative of a hospitalised patient reportedly said they had been staying in the building for two days, but there was no water supply, fans were not functioning and women had fainted because of the heat and poor conditions.
The AAP leaders demanded that the government urgently address the shortage of medicines, restore diagnostic services and improve basic facilities at GTB Hospital.
