By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Nainital, 30 Oct: The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Secretary, Health, to take an appropriate decision within four months on a pending representation seeking the removal of deficiencies in healthcare facilities, including the shortage of specialist doctors and lack of basic infrastructure in government hospitals across Uttarakhand. The direction came while disposing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in this respect today which had flagged the inadequate availability of specialist doctors and essential facilities in government-run hospitals across the state.
The case was heard by a Division Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Subhash Upadhyay. According to the details of the case, the National Public Service Trust, Haridwar, had filed the PIL before the High Court, pointing out the acute shortage of specialist doctors in government hospitals and the absence of basic facilities at several healthcare centres.
The petitioner submitted that several Community Health Centres (CHCs) are functioning without doctors despite the posts having been sanctioned. Referring to data for 2025-26, the petitioner informed the court that nearly 52,000 patients suffering from ailments ranging from minor illnesses to serious medical conditions have been referred to higher medical centres by these hospitals. This, the petitioner argued, is a significant indicator of the inadequacy of healthcare facilities at the grassroots level and the inability of government hospitals to provide treatment locally.
The PIL also informed the court of the ‘poor state of basic infrastructure’ at certain healthcare facilities in the state and cited the example of the Community Health Centre in Didihat, where patients are reportedly being examined under the light of torches due to the absence of an adequate electricity supply.
In response, on behalf of the state government, it was submitted that efforts are being made to provide basic facilities in government hospitals and fill the vacant posts of doctors through the walk-in interview process. The government further informed the court that the shortage of doctors in hospitals would be addressed by the month of March.
After hearing the submissions, the High Court directed the Secretary, Health, to consider and dispose of the petitioner’s pending representation within four months and take an appropriate decision on addressing the deficiencies in healthcare facilities in government hospitals across the state.
