Gurgaon witnessed a protest by the Congress party on Monday against the prolonged delay in constructing the proposed civil hospital. Party leaders and workers warned that they would launch an indefinite hunger strike if construction does not begin within a month. They accused the state government of repeatedly altering the project plan, causing years of delay despite the city's growing healthcare needs.
Congress leaders question government commitment
Pankaj Dawar, district president of Congress Gurgaon (Urban), questioned the government's dedication to the project. He noted that senior ministers and the local member of parliament have visited repeatedly and made announcements, but no ground-level progress has been achieved. Dawar said, "The health minister, Union minister, and MP have visited Gurgaon several times and made big claims, but construction has not advanced even a single step. Leaders come here, make promises, and get photographs taken, but the project remains stalled. The BJP office was constructed in record time, but the hospital has seen no movement."
Lack of affordable healthcare affects lakhs
Dawar emphasized that the absence of a functional government hospital in a city of Gurgaon's size and population reflects a failure of governance. He stated, "Lakhs of people cannot afford treatment at private hospitals. Every day, patients are forced to run from one place to another due to the lack of affordable healthcare." The protest comes shortly after the Haryana government appointed the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) as the executing agency for the project, replacing the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), which had been handling planning and design.
Government's recent steps
Health minister Arti Singh Rao said last Thursday that HSIIDC will oversee construction of the Rs 1,054-crore hospital near Police Lines, and officials have been directed to complete remaining formalities at the earliest. The latest design proposes a 400-bed facility with provision for 200 additional beds in a second phase. Congress leaders said the lack of a public hospital forces poor patients to either seek costly private treatment or travel to Delhi and Rohtak, with delays proving critical in emergencies. The party also pointed to Gurgaon's rapidly growing population, expanding industrial base, and rising road accidents as reasons why a large public healthcare facility has become urgent.
Current healthcare infrastructure
Gurgaon currently has one major public hospital — Civil Hospital in Sector 10 — which handles an average of 2,000 outpatients daily. The original Civil Lines hospital, built in 1967, was declared structurally unsafe after six roof-collapse incidents between 2015 and 2016, including in the maternity ward and intensive care unit. The Public Works Department issued unsafe-building declarations in both 2015 and 2017 following safety audits, after which critical services were shifted to the Sector 10 facility.
