A protest at Hyderabad’s state-run Niloufer Hospital on Monday brought allegations of overcrowding, poor sanitation, staff shortages, bribery and outsourcing irregularities to the attention of hospital authorities, with activists from the Progressive Youth League (PYL) and the Progressive Organisation of Women (POW) submitting a memorandum to Superintendent Dr Vijay Kumar.
The groups said their three-day survey documented difficult conditions for underprivileged patients and their attendants at the premier government facility. The protestors marched to the administration block after, according to the report, earlier attempts to meet hospital authorities did not receive a response.
Among the issues highlighted in the survey was an alleged shortage of beds and accommodation. The activists claimed that expectant mothers were often made to wait on plastic chairs for long periods and that two or three patients were sometimes required to share a single bed. They also said patient attendants were left outdoors without adequate access to drinking water or restrooms.
The groups further alleged that two floors of a newly built three-storey rest house for attendants remained non-functional. The facility’s toilets, in both the old and new blocks, were described by the activists as overflowing and unhygienic. They said foul odours had spread into corridors and warned that the conditions could increase the risk of hospital-acquired infections. These claims were part of the survey findings cited during the protest and were not independently established in the report.
The memorandum also included allegations of staff demanding bribes from patients and directing them from hospital diagnostic services to private laboratories in return for commissions. The activists said they had evidence to support the accusations, but the report did not provide details of that evidence or record a response from the staff members named in the allegations.
A separate complaint concerned an alleged multi-crore irregularity in outsourced services. PYL and POW members claimed that payroll numbers had been inflated from 250 to 675, allowing bogus billing and diversion of public funds. The report did not state whether the allegation had been confirmed through an audit, investigation or official finding.
Other grievances raised during the protest included chaotic parking around the hospital, alleged inaction by Resident Medical Officers, vacant staff positions and shortcomings in the subsidised meal service. The activists said meals priced at five rupees were being provided without adequate directional signage, making it harder for patients and attendants to navigate the facility.
Niloufer Hospital serves patients who depend on public healthcare, including women and children requiring specialised treatment. The complaints therefore extend beyond the condition of a single building: they concern how bed capacity, attendant facilities, sanitation, diagnostics, staffing and outsourced services function together in a high-demand public hospital.
The protesters issued an ultimatum to the hospital management and demanded immediate intervention from health authorities. The report did not specify a deadline for compliance, an official action plan or any response from the superintendent or the Telangana health department beyond the submission of the memorandum.
