Jalandhar Lok Adalat issues notices to health, civic authorities over Civil Hospital neglect
The Permanent Lok Adalat, Jalandhar, has issued notices to top civic and health authorities after taking cognisance of a plea alleging unsafe, unsanitary and hazardous conditions at the Civil Hospital, Jalandhar.
The notices have been sent to the Civil Surgeon, the Executive Engineer of the Punjab Health Department, the Municipal Corporation, the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the Deputy Commissioner.
The intervention comes in response to a public interest application filed under Sections 22-B and 22-C of the Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Chairman Jagdeep Singh Marok and Members DK Sharma and Sushma Handoo, who fixed July 3 as the next date of hearing.
The plea exposes shocking neglect at the city’s key public hospital, raising concerns over dilapidated infrastructure, non-functional facilities, biomedical waste mismanagement, poor sanitation and a severe shortage of beds. In particular, the Gynaecology Ward is said to be in alarming condition, with patients lying on floors due to lack of beds and ventilation, putting new mothers and pregnant women at risk.
According to the application, washrooms in outpatient and patient areas are filthy and broken, with leaking pipes and no working handwashing facilities. Biomedical waste such as used syringes, bloodied bandages and surgical gloves were reportedly found strewn in corridors without any segregation system. The lack of proper disposal measures has heightened the risk of infection and disease transmission within the hospital premises.
The infrastructure is described as being in a state of virtual collapse, with instances of ceiling leakage, electrical short circuits and incomplete construction projects that have left open pits and debris in patient-access areas. The emergency and surgical wards are said to be poorly equipped, lacking operational stretchers, wheelchairs and even basic amenities like functioning fans.
The petitioner has pointed out that these lapses amount to violations of Article 21 of the Constitution, which guarantees the Right to Life, as well as the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), and various judgments of the Supreme Court that affirm the right to timely and adequate healthcare.
The Permanent Lok Adalat’s notice seeks responses from all named authorities and has called for a thorough inspection of the hospital’s current state. Among the directions sought in the plea are immediate repairs, restoration of hygiene, enforcement of biomedical waste disposal protocols, and formation of a joint monitoring committee comprising representatives of the health department, Municipal Corporation and pollution control board.
The petition also highlights systemic failures, stating that repeated complaints from patients and families have been ignored, while construction and maintenance works remain abandoned. The application argues that neglect at this scale reflects institutional apathy and a total collapse of accountability in public health delivery.
Jalandhar