A protest at Hyderabad’s state-run Niloufer Hospital has brought allegations of severe infrastructure gaps, staff shortages, bribery and outsourcing irregularities to the attention of health authorities. Activists from the Progressive Youth League and Progressive Organisation of Women submitted a memorandum to hospital superintendent Dr Vijay Kumar after conducting a three-day survey of conditions faced by patients and attendants.
The activists marched to the hospital’s administration block on Monday, demanding immediate action on the issues identified in their survey. According to the report submitted by the organisations, patients from economically weaker sections are facing overcrowding, inadequate sanitation and a shortage of basic facilities while seeking treatment at the government hospital.
The survey alleged that expectant mothers are being made to wait for long periods on plastic chairs and that two or three patients are sometimes accommodated in a single bed because of a shortage of space. It also claimed that attendants of patients, including those who are grieving or exhausted, are left outdoors without adequate drinking water or restroom facilities.
The activists further alleged that two floors of a newly built three-storey rest house for attendants were not functional. The report also raised concerns about overflowing and unhygienic toilets in both the old and new hospital blocks, claiming that foul odours were spreading into corridors and creating an unsafe environment for patients and visitors.
The allegations extended beyond physical infrastructure. PYL and POW members accused some hospital staff of demanding bribes from patients and directing them to private diagnostic laboratories in return for commissions. The organisations said they had submitted evidence supporting these claims, although the allegations have not been independently established in the material available for this report.
The protesters also raised concerns about an alleged outsourcing irregularity involving hospital staffing. They claimed that payroll numbers had been inflated from 250 to 675, allowing public funds to be siphoned off through bogus billing. The report did not include an official audit finding or a separate statement from the authority responsible for investigating the allegation.
Other complaints included disorderly parking around the hospital, alleged inaction by Resident Medical Officers, inadequate information boards and vacant staff positions. The activists also criticised the hospital’s subsidised five-rupee meal service, saying that the food arrangements lacked basic guidance for patients and attendants.
Niloufer Hospital is a major public healthcare facility serving Hyderabad and patients from across Telangana. Its condition has implications beyond the hospital campus because overcrowding, inadequate attendant facilities and weak sanitation can directly affect how public healthcare is accessed by low-income families.
The activists said they had previously attempted to meet hospital authorities but were unable to secure an audience before submitting the memorandum. They issued an ultimatum to the management, demanding prompt action on the infrastructure, staffing, sanitation, patient-service and alleged corruption-related complaints. The next steps from the hospital administration and health authorities were not specified in the report.
