Jalandhar Civil Hospital which has been placed in the “Commendable” category under the Punjab government’s Kayakalp Scheme for 2025–26 is facing serious questions after ground inspection revealed poor conditions and failing facilities.
Despite receiving recognition under a scheme meant to promote cleanliness and better healthcare standards parts of the hospital were found dirty with ongoing and incomplete work in several areas and the situation on ground appears to be far from the image suggested by the rating.
Hospital staff admitted that several machines in the ICU are not working properly and confirmed that requests have already been sent to get the faulty equipment repaired and to arrange necessary supplies including beds and other basic items.
A staff nurse said that one of the dialysis machines stopped working around 9:00 AM on April 1 while it was in use and an online complaint was filed immediately although an engineer later visited and took away a part for repair the machine has still not been fixed.
Doctors at the hospital said there are a total of four dialysis machines and out of these two have already been declared unfit for use and of the remaining two, one is now out of order leaving only one machine functional for patients in need. The company has been informed and is working on the issue but delays continue.
Patients and their attendants are facing multiple problems due to lack of basic facilities and many are bringing their own electric fans from home while water coolers in the hospital are not working leaving people without access to cold drinking water.
The hospital is also dealing with a shortage of medical staff which is adding pressure on the existing workforce and affecting patient care.
The Outpatient Department (OPD) sees around 1,200 patients daily and the patients first have to wait 30–35 minutes just to get an ABHA ID and after that they stand in separate lines for registration, consultation and tests.
For ultrasound scans the waiting time has stretched up to one week causing further inconvenience and stress for patients.
While the Kayakalp Scheme aims to improve cleanliness and overall hospital conditions the situation at Jalandhar Civil Hospital shows a clear gap between official recognition and actual ground reality while patients continue to struggle with basic facilities, delays and limited resources.
