The proposal to construct a new building for the civil hospital in Hisar remains pending with state authorities, even as the demand for expanding and strengthening medical facilities in the town continues to grow. The existing government healthcare facilities at the Civil Hospital are stretched to their limits.
Land Transfer Hurdle
Health Department sources confirmed that while the land has been finalized for the new hospital, it has not yet been transferred to the Health Department for further processing. Approximately 22 acres of land belonging to the Government Livestock Farm (GLF), located on the outskirts of Hisar opposite the airport on the Delhi Bypass, have been earmarked for the project. An official stated, “After much deliberation, which took about two years to finalize the land, the process is now stuck at the stage of transferring ownership of the land from the GLF to the Health Department.”
Next Steps
Chief Medical Officer of Civil Hospital Hisar, Dr Sapna Gahlaut, informed that the district administration has submitted a proposal to the state authorities for the land transfer. Once the transfer is completed, the design and tendering process will begin before construction of the new hospital can start.
Current Hospital Overwhelmed
The government Civil Hospital, built in 1957, is struggling to cope with the increasing patient load as the town grows. Expansion or vertical construction is not possible due to restrictions, as the hospital is located near the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Hisar Fort, built by Delhi Sultan Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1354. Construction activities are completely banned within a 100-meter radius of the fort under the ASI Act.
Need for Public Healthcare
Social activist Dr Ramesh Punia highlighted that Hisar has become a hub for private healthcare, with over 50 hospitals operating in the town and new ones being built by industrialists-turned-doctors. He noted that approximately 25,000 outpatients visit hospitals in Hisar daily, not only from Hisar district but also from adjoining districts and neighboring Rajasthan and Punjab. “There is an urgent need to strengthen government health facilities,” he said.
Dr Punia added, “Not everyone, especially those from rural areas, can afford treatment in private hospitals. There has already been a delay of several years in setting up a new hospital building. Unfortunately, the government spent Rs 7 crore on repair and maintenance of the old civil hospital building earlier this year. About Rs 20 crore has been spent over the past 10 years on construction and maintenance works at the hospital, but all in vain. Until the capacity of this hospital is increased and a super-speciality hospital and trauma centre are established, patients will continue to suffer and bear the high cost of treatment in private hospitals.”
