Repeated incidents of negligence in Haryana’s government hospitals have exposed deep cracks in the state’s public healthcare system. From rats nibbling bodies in mortuaries at Hisar and Jind to the shortage of life-saving anti-rabies vaccine allegedly leading to a patient’s death in Sonepat and non-functional ambulances in Jhajjar, systemic shortcomings continue to weaken public confidence.
Private Hospitals Thrive as Public Infrastructure Crumbles
With government healthcare facilities struggling across several districts, poor infrastructure, manpower shortages, and administrative lapses have created space for private hospitals to thrive. The biggest sufferers are poor patients, who are often forced to seek expensive treatment in private hospitals, paying far beyond their means.
NHRC Takes Note
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued at least three notices to Haryana authorities since September 2025 over alleged medical negligence and poor hospital conditions, including treatment-related lapses in Faridabad, rats feeding on bodies in a Jind hospital, and the death of a dog-bite victim reportedly linked to the non-availability of anti-rabies vaccine.
Hisar Civil Hospital Under Scrutiny
The Civil Hospital in Hisar, functioning from a building established in 1957, has once again come under scrutiny after another body was found nibbled by rats. Even as nearly 50 private hospitals have come up in Hisar city over the years, government healthcare infrastructure has failed to keep pace.
Activist Highlights Widespread Problems
Healthcare activist Satish Chopra of Faridabad, who leads the Refer Mukta Sangharsh Samiti and has undertaken a cycle yatra across Haryana to highlight poor public healthcare, said the problem was widespread. Chopra, who also staged a 294-day dharna in Faridabad, stated, “Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and even civil hospitals have become mere referral centres. The government has promised trauma centres in 14 districts, but none exists today. There is a shortage of around 500 doctors in government hospitals. There is not a single super-specialist doctor in government facilities up to the civil hospital level. Cancer units exist, but there is no oncologist. This summarises Haryana’s healthcare.”
He added, “Patients end up paying nearly 10 times more in private hospitals. Families often have to sell their property to afford treatment for serious cardiac, neurological or gastrointestinal illnesses.”
Allegations of Neglect Benefiting Private Sector
Social activist Dr. Ramesh Punia alleged that the neglect of government hospitals had benefited private healthcare providers. “An influential lobby was playing a key role in keeping government medical facilities under-utilised,” he claimed.
Quoting the Bhore Committee recommendations, Dr. Punia said Haryana should have about 1.77 lakh government hospital beds and over 19,000 medical officers. However, a 2018 Union Health Ministry report recorded only 13,841 government beds. He argued that despite a healthcare allocation of Rs 14,007.29 crore for 2026-27, public hospitals remained far behind the private sector. He also alleged that the Ayushman Bharat scheme had been misused by private hospitals, citing investigations by the Chief Minister’s Flying Squad.
Government Response
Director General, Health, Dr. Manish Bansal, said action had been initiated in the Hisar mortuary incident. He acknowledged the shortage of doctors and said recruitment of doctors and specialists was underway across the state.
