Bhopal: A woman in Hamidia hospital premises carried her husband on her shoulders to the public toilet where a steep slope added to her struggle. Unable to bear his weight, she paused midway, attempting to give him support to walk on his own. Exhaustion forced her to sit down on the slope before hoisting him again.
Yet, her weary face was determined.
The couple’s ordeal is not an isolated incident but a recurring reality in Hamidia Hospital, the largest state-run healthcare facility in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal, serving patients from across the state.
With over 1,800 operational beds, it is also the teaching hospital for Gandhi Medical College. Recently, it also received a five-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH). In fact, Free Press Journal, on August 23, 2024, quoted Medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Sumit Tandon, as saying that it is the first government hospital of its size to get the NABH accreditation.
However, this recognition contrasts sharply with the systemic challenges plaguing patient care at the hospital.
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The woman says, “Doctors have told me there’s no treatment for paralysis. I managed to get some medicine for him from Nariyalkheda. He’s a bit better now but still can’t walk. I couldn’t find a wheelchair to help him. I’m waiting for the free food and staying at a rain basera (shelter home).”
Scenes like this lay bare the indignities the poor endure in the name of healthcare at Hamidia Hospital. Despite its reputation and size, the institution often symbolises human resilience against systemic neglect.
Systemic failures in Madhya Pradesh’s healthcare
The challenges patients face at Hamidia Hospital are symptomatic of a collapsing healthcare system across Madhya Pradesh. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report of 2017-18 to 2021-22 on public health infrastructure reveals glaring deficiencies with over 22,800 sanctioned posts for healthcare workers lying vacant across the state.
Essential medical equipment, including X-ray machines and diagnostic tools, surgical instruments are in critical shortage. Respiratory, cardiac, reproductive and emergency care drugs are often unavailable or poorly managed in district hospitals.
Another battle is underway on the same premises as Hamidia Hospital. Around 400 outsourced staff members, including ward boys, have been served termination notices effective February. They have started protests within the hospital grounds claiming unpaid wages for two months and a pending Diwali bonus.
A patient’s family carrying him on a stretcher at Hamidia Hospital. Photo: Huneza Khan
As per the CAG report, the Madhya Pradesh government adopted the 2012 Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms but failed to meet human resource requirements. A shortage of 22,845 healthcare workers was identified, including 182 unsanctioned posts and 11,535 vacancies across 1,775 healthcare institutions.
Privatisation and accountability concerns
Health activist Amulya Nidhi points out that healthcare in Madhya Pradesh is grossly plagued by corruption, mismanagement and a lack of accountability.
“The healthcare services in Madhya Pradesh are in shambles,” he says, indicating that the government relied more on privatisation than over strengthening public systems.
Plans to hand over district hospitals and Sanjivini clinics to private entities highlight the state’s inability to manage its own healthcare infrastructure.
The state government had in July 2024 invited private entities to manage hospitals in districts including Katni, Morena, Panna, Balaghat, Bhind, Dhar, Khargone, Sidhi, Tikamgarh, and Betul with the condition that these entities establish 100-bed medical colleges in each district.
This move faced significant opposition from health organisations and activists who argued that privatisation could negatively impact healthcare services in these regions. While the government is reportedly re-evaluating the proposal due to pushback, no formal withdrawal has been announced.
Everyday struggles in the name of healthcare
The human toll is evident in the stories of patients navigating Hamidia Hospital.
Rekha Devi*, whose husband walks barefoot for medical tests, recounts the indignities they endure due to the unavailability of wheelchairs.
“He can barely stand, yet we have no choice but to walk,” she said, pausing frequently as her husband struggled to keep pace.
Wheelchairs were unavailable when this reporter attempted to assist the couple. Guards directed us from one building to another but to no avail.
These are everyday struggles for families who rely on government hospitals for care.
A patient is struggling to walk barefoot due to wheelchair unavailability. Photo: Huneza Khan
For Janki Sharma*, the lack of free medicines adds to her woes. She was prescribed drugs that cost over Rs 5,000. Janki questions how families living on meager incomes could access life-saving treatment at this cost.
“We don’t even have Rs 100, let alone thousands for medicines,” she says with a heavy voice in despair.
Poor drug management and crippling shortages
Source: CAG report
Source: CAG report
As per the CAG report, the drug management of hospitals reflects their inefficiencies. Between 2017-18 and 2021-22, a total of 263 kinds of drugs costing Rs 108.11 lakh had expired in Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal, JAH, Gwalior and CIMS Chhindwara.
In Hamidia Hospital alone, drugs worth Rs 74.34 lakh expired from 2017-2022, and surveys revealed that most patients had to purchase 25–75% of prescribed medicines from private stores.
Only seven out of 30 surveyed OPD patients at Hamidia received free medicines, and some were forced to get diagnostic tests done at private labs due to unavailability in the hospital. The government stated (November 2023) that in GMC Bhopal, the provision of free tests and free drugs for patients depends upon the drug’s availability and the test’s services.
Source: CAG report
“The doctor prescribed four tablets but only two were available. I had to buy one for Rs 300. Most of the time we avoid coming here. What’s the point of so much hassle? They ask us to download the ABHA app and go through other lengthy procedures. By the time it’s done, a person could die!” says a private employee at Hamidia Hospital.
He continues, “I know people who received treatment here costing Rs 20,000-25,000 which would have been Rs 3-4 lakh in private hospitals. References help but poor people suffer the most. They are often misguided and no one talks to them properly. An X-ray that could be done in 10 minutes takes five hours here. This hospital was built to provide facilities and comfort, but what use is it if nothing works?”
Pointing out the shift in registration processes, he adds, “Earlier, there was the BPL card and a Rs 10 registration fee. Now, they insist on the Ayushman card.”
Source: CAG report
CAG report observed a notable shortage of Drug Distribution Counters (DDCs) in Hamidia Hospital. As per the IPHS norms, there should be one drug dispensing counter for every 200 OPD patients in a day.
However, the audit noticed that Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal, had only six counters while the requirement of counters ranged between 9-14.
Constitutional violations, lapses in essential services and other health indicators
Amulya Nidhi says, “The government is intentionally weakening public healthcare to pave the way for privatisation. Healthcare is a state responsibility, and under IPHS norms, every citizen should receive free treatment, medicines, tests, and surgeries without needing specific cards. Linking health care to cards creates unnecessary barriers, prioritising bureaucracy over emergency medical needs.”
“This approach is inherently anti-poor and fails to uphold constitutional rights. Instead of focusing on preventive care and food security, the government relies on token schemes that neglect the real needs of the poor and vulnerable. When someone falls sick, they need immediate medical attention, not bureaucracy,” he says.
Source: CAG report
The CAG report also revealed significant lapses in essential services at Hamidia Hospital and other major healthcare institutions in Madhya Pradesh.
Despite norms requiring four ambulances for hospitals with over 300 beds, Hamidia operates with just one ambulance, whereas Sultania Zanana Hospital has had none since 2017. Furthermore, none of the ambulances in these hospitals meet the Advanced Life Support (ALS) or Basic Life Support (BLS) standards; trained technicians are absent, endangering critical patient care.
Nineteen-year-old Gudiya*, a resident of Narsinghpur in Gadarwara district shared her health ordeal with leprosy.
“I’ve been suffering from this disease for months. A private doctor in Gadarwara sent me here for treatment, so I had no choice but to come to Hamidia. I don’t know the exact distance, but it costs Rs 80 per person one way. My tablets ran out and the disease came back,” she says.
Explaining her family’s financial struggles, she says, “We’re poor and barely have enough money. If I want a good life, I have to get treated. My mother gets Rs 1,200 under the Ladli Behna scheme which helps with food and other needs. But we struggle. She spoke about avoiding additional medical expenses.”
“My stomach hurts, and they asked me to get a sonography done, but I’m not going. It’s too costly, and I can’t afford it,” she adds.
Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Photo: Huneza Khan
Nidhi remarks that Madhya Pradesh consistently ranks at the bottom when we look at broader health indicators such as maternal health, infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR), anemia, food security, and malnutrition. “This has been a trend over the past decade, as seen in hunger reports and NFHS data. These indicators directly impact health outcomes,” he says.
On an average, India has significantly reduced the MMR in eight years, from 178 in 2012 to 97 in 2020 – down by 45.51% – whereas, the MP government could only manage to reduce it by 24.78 %, from 230 in 2010-12 to 173 in 2018-20.
While the state touts initiatives like air ambulances and modernised healthcare services, a closer look at Hamidia Hospital reveals the actual state of a broken system. Patients and workers bear the brunt of inefficiencies, corruption, and neglect.
Addressing these systemic issues requires immediate reforms to uphold the constitutional promise of equitable and dignified healthcare for all.
Despite repeated attempts via call to contact the hospital superintendent for comments, no response was received. The article will be updated on receiving a response.
*Names of patients have been changed to protect their privacy.
Huneza Khan is an independent journalist based in Bhopal.
