Reporter’s Diary: S Haryana’s govt hospitals await a check-up as well

From flooded basements to power failures and wrong-site surgery, months of reporting reveal recurring lapses across Gurugram, Nuh, Palwal and Faridabad.

Proper medical facilities are among the most basic promises any government makes. Yet, after several months reporting on the health beat in Gurugram, I have realised that the biggest story inside a government hospital is often not the patient but the hospital itself.

The piece examines repeated breakdowns in maintenance, emergency preparedness and patient care despite government promises of reforms. (HT)

What initially appeared to be isolated incidents gradually revealed a larger pattern. Over the past few months, I have reported on flooded basements, leaking roofs, unattended hospital waste, sewage overflows and labour rooms struggling with basic infrastructure across southern Haryana, from Gurugram to Palwal, Nuh and Faridabad.

The latest reminder came from Gurugram Civil Hospital, where the basement was flooded again after this month’s rain. Water seeped through tile joints and damp walls, while a Public Works Department inspection pointed to structural defects and an ageing sewer network. What struck me most was how routine it had become. Patients were shifted to higher floors as though it were standard procedure. This came despite nearly ₹10 crore being spent on renovation over the past six months. Even more surprising, the hospital’s primary medical officer told me no written list of the completed repair works had been provided.

The basement of the Civil Hospital in Sector 10-A, Gurugram, as seen on July 10, two days after the flooding. (HT Photo)

Days earlier, I had visited the same hospital to report on piles of waste lying unattended. Around the same time, a senior doctor allegedly referred a young patient to a hospital in Delhi after the patient’s reported death. A departmental probe followed, the outcome of which will determine what, if any, lapses took place.

The pattern continued elsewhere.

In Palwal, a video showing a Caesarean section being performed with the flashlight of a mobile phone during a power outage led to an official inquiry, which also identified shortcomings in emergency power preparedness. A few weeks ago, reports of burst pipelines, leaking water and damp walls inside the district civil hospital came up.

In Faridabad, a woman delivered her baby outside a government primary health centre after allegedly finding the gates locked and no medical staff available. The Haryana Human Rights Commission described the incident as a “grim” situation and sought an explanation from authorities.

Most recently, in Nuh, a four-year-old boy underwent surgery on the wrong leg. After his parents pointed out the mistake, doctors allegedly operated on the correct leg in a second procedure.

These incidents differ in detail but not in consequence. The patient bears the cost of institutional failure. This is despite the Haryana government announcing accelerated hospital projects, third-party quality audits, higher maintenance budgets and enhanced financial powers for civil surgeons in May to make government hospitals more patient-friendly.

No patient expects luxury in a government hospital. They expect a clean ward, uninterrupted electricity, functioning drainage and timely medical care. For thousands who cannot afford private healthcare, the government hospital is the only choice. When that system falters, it is not just infrastructure that collapses. It is public trust.

Sampurna is a correspondent with HT Gurugram covering crime, health, civic infrastructure, and traffic.