Delhi High Court Orders Surprise Audit of 38 Hospitals After ICU Bed Availability Concerns

The Delhi High Court has ordered surprise inspections and audits of 38 hospitals across the capital to examine whether online ICU bed data matches actual availability, whether emergency calls receive proper responses, and whether the NextGen e-Hospital Management Information System is being implemented consistently.

A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M. Singh and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed Aarti Garg, Joint Director at the National Informatics Centre (NIC), and her team to conduct the inspections on different dates until July 31, 2026. The team must submit an audit report identifying any gaps it finds.

The directions came in Court on its Own Motion v. Union of India & Ors., an ongoing case concerning healthcare infrastructure and public health facilities in Delhi.

The immediate concern arose after the amicus curiae informed the court about the case of 70-year-old Kamar Jahan, who was suffering from breathing difficulty.

According to submissions recorded during the proceedings, the woman was allegedly turned away from Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital despite online information indicating that ICU beds were available. LiveLaw reported that the patient’s family, who were present in court, said two ICU beds were shown as available when they reached the hospital.

The family also submitted that repeated calls to hospital helpline numbers did not produce meaningful assistance. According to the report, a security guard answered one of the numbers but could not confirm whether an ICU bed was available.

The court described the situation as “unfortunate” and raised concerns about the implementation of the ICU bed management system.

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The proceedings also examined the implementation of the NextGen e-Hospital Management Information System, or HMIS, across Delhi hospitals.

The court order records that the system showed no Unique Health Identification (UHID) created for the patient at Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, while a UHID had been created at LNJP Hospital.

Aarti Garg, who was present with the NIC team developing the NextGen e-HMIS, told the court that a UHID allows a patient’s details to be accessed within a hospital. She further explained that the details become accessible to other hospitals only when transmitted to the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA).

The court said it remained unclear how hospitals were using the HMIS platform and why its implementation lacked uniformity. It observed that there was disparity in the way Delhi government hospitals were implementing the system.

The Bench stressed the need for consistency and uniformity in the use of the NextGen e-HMIS. It also said personnel handling hospital telephone lines and staff present at hospitals should not turn away patients.

The court directed the NIC team to inspect all 38 hospitals on different dates until July 31, 2026.

The audit must determine whether:

1. Available ICU bed numbers are properly reflected and updated online;

2. Emergency phone calls seeking assistance for ICU beds are properly attended to; and

3. The NextGen e-HMIS is being implemented uniformly and consistently across all 38 hospitals.

The court directed the NIC team to clearly identify any gaps in its audit report.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi must provide the NIC team with necessary facilities, including transportation, to carry out the audit.

The court order also allowed Garg to constitute two or three parallel teams for the exercise if required.

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The High Court directed the Delhi government to consider establishing a toll-free number with at least 10 to 20 lines available at any point for emergency services and ICU bed availability enquiries.

The proposed service should be properly staffed and capable of providing live information about ICU beds and medical specialities available at different hospitals.

The court said such a system could help patients, caregivers and ambulance services obtain appropriate information when they call during emergencies.

The Delhi government must place its proposal before the court.

The Bench also sought clarity on what happens when one hospital refers a patient to another.

The Delhi government must state whether a nodal person currently takes responsibility for implementing such referrals and ensuring that a referred patient is not turned away.

If no such mechanism exists, the government must place on record the steps needed to establish one.

This direction is significant because the court did not simply order the appointment of a new nodal officer. Instead, it first sought a clear response on whether such a coordination mechanism already exists and, if not, how one should be created.

Given the circumstances placed before it, the High Court referred Kamar Jahan to Dr. Amit Gupta at LNJP Hospital on the same day for an ICU bed and necessary treatment.

The court also directed Dr. Amit Gupta to file a status report by the next date of hearing.

The order further granted liberty to the amicus curiae to mention the matter before the court if required.

The matter is listed for further hearing on August 7, 2026.

(Rh/ARC/MSM)