New Delhi: Natasha brought her 47-year-old mother to Safdarjung Hospital after she began experiencing severe breathing difficulties and stomach pain. What Natasha thought would be the most difficult part — getting a bed in a government hospital — turned into something far more distressing when she got into a heated argument with the hospital staff, after which her mother was discharged before her treatment could be completed.
“They were asking me not to complain, and if I had a problem, to take my mother to a private hospital,” 21-year-old Natasha Sankhla told ThePrint. “If we had money, or if the other families did, why would they have come here in the first place?”
A video of Natasha in the emergency ward of Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital has once again sparked outrage over the state of public healthcare in India. The video shows Natasha arguing with the hospital staff pointing to the overcrowded wards and patients being forced to share beds.
While many on social media came in support of Natasha, sharing their own struggles at government hospitals, doctors and hospital staff said the issues they face criticism for, like poor infrastructure and lack of facilities, are beyond their control.
“Doctors and staff members at the hospital work under intense pressure, sometimes for days on end without rest. Blaming and fighting with doctors over infrastructure and management only leads to more such incidents,” said Dr Devaunshi Kaul, president of the Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA).
‘Can’t complain’
Natasha took her mother, Poonam Sankhla, to Safdarjung Hospital on 1 October, where she was found to be having a swollen lung. She was admitted to the emergency ward and received treatment, but her condition worsened three days later when she began struggling to breathe. Despite her mother’s condition, Natasha said oxygen was provided to her by the staff only after repeated requests.
“My mother couldn’t breathe, and they didn’t even bother to check on her immediately,” said Natasha.
The argument seen in the video wasn’t triggered by a single incident, but by a series of complaints Natasha made to the staff. One major concern arose when she requested that her mother be moved to another bed after the patient she was lying next to began kicking her.
“It was midnight, and no one was around to help. So we made a bed on the floor and slept there,” Natasha said.
The next day, when doctors and staff came for their morning rounds, they asked Natasha to move from the floor. She requested that her mother be assigned a separate bed, but the staff refused.
Natasha documented the hospital’s condition by recording multiple videos, showing patients with different and potentially contagious diseases sharing beds. She questioned whether such arrangements could lead to cross-infection.
“In the same ward, a TB patient was sharing a bed with someone suffering from paralysis, and no one seemed concerned about the risk of infection or disease transmission,” said Natasha.
In another video, Natasha claims that a doctor told her to either get her mother discharged or shift her to a private hospital if she had so many issues with the management.
Responding to the incident, Dr Kaul said that such situations arise due to the overwhelming patient load at Safdarjung Hospital and the gap between demand and available infrastructure.
“These incidents are the result of systemic shortcomings. Doctors do not provide beds or facilities, those are decisions made by the health ministry and the government. The public needs to understand where to direct their complaints,” said Dr Kaul.
However, Natasha, or her mother, is not the only one with complaints against the hospital management.
Looking for an auto rickshaw outside the hospital, Priyanka Sarangi stood with her 73-year-old grandmother Kamal Sarangi after an eye check-up, which took them nearly half a day.
Priyanka took her grandmother to Safdarjung Hospital’s Department of Ophthalmology on 9 October. After going through several rounds of documentation and waiting for hours for their turn, they were finally called into the doctor’s cabin. However, during the examination, someone entered the room and spoke to the doctor privately. Moments later, Priyanka and her grandmother were asked to step outside and wait.
“They asked us to leave the cabin in the middle of the check-up — most likely to attend to someone who came with a reference or had connections,” said Priyanka, adding that such scenes are common in India’s government hospitals.
“If you know someone in the management, there’s no queue, no documentation, and no waiting for you,” she said, adding that if you complain against this then you might not get attended at all.
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‘Not doctors’ fault’
Natasha has filed a formal complaint with the authorities at Safdarjung Hospital regarding alleged negligence and misconduct by the hospital staff. She also registered an FIR at Ranhola Police Station, alleging misbehavior by staff members and delays in her mother’s treatment.
The hospital’s internal committee has also initiated an inquiry into the incident, and an investigation is underway.
Safdarjung Hospital is one of India’s leading government hospitals and operates under a strict “no refusal” policy, meaning it cannot turn away any patient regardless of capacity.
Dr Kaul explained that in the Department of Medicine, there are only 70 beds available, yet 90 to 100 patients are admitted daily. “In reality, nearly 180 patients are admitted each day for just 70 beds, which leads to doubling and even tripling of occupancy,” she said. “This happens because Safdarjung follows a no-referral policy.”
According to her, patients are usually informed upon arrival about the shortage of beds and other infrastructure constraints. However, Natasha denied receiving any such information before her mother was admitted.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred at the hospital. Dr Kaul pointed out that while patients and their families often highlight their suffering, the conditions faced by doctors are frequently overlooked.
“Even doctors don’t have beds to rest on,” she said. “After working more than 48 hours straight, doctors are subjected to verbal abuse and threats for issues that are beyond their control.”
“These types of incidents shouldn’t happen, but they also serve as a wake-up call for the ministries and the government to improve the infrastructure,” added Kaul.
Standing at a tea stall, Rahul, 27, sipped his tea while constantly checking the time. He was waiting for the clock to strike 4 pm — the designated visiting hour at the hospital — so he could see his mother, who is currently admitted to the emergency ward.
Speaking about the hospital’s management, he explained that it’s common for junior doctors and staff members to taunt families or suggest they go to private hospitals. “Maybe one video went viral, but the staff’s rude behavior is very common here,” Rahul said.
“Everybody respects the doctors, but they also need to understand that they should be familiar with the situations here,” he added.
(Edited by Aamaan Alam Khan)