The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to provide district-wise details of hospitals, sanctioned medical posts, and the number of doctors and paramedical staff currently employed. This came after the state acknowledged a shortage of nearly 5,000 doctors across its hospitals and medical colleges.
A bench comprising Justices Rajan Roy and Rajiv Bharti passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation filed in 2017 by the Viraj Khand Resident Welfare Society, which sought guidelines for ensuring proper medical care for patients in state-run facilities.
During the hearing, the state government informed the court that 19,659 posts of doctors are sanctioned in the Provincial Medical Health Services cadre, but only 11,018 doctors are employed on a regular basis. In addition, 283 doctors are on redeployment, and 404 have been appointed through walk-in interviews.
The government further stated that 2,508 doctors are working under the National Health Mission, bringing the total number of doctors in the state to 14,213, far short of the sanctioned strength.
Observing these figures, the court noted that there is a clear shortage of at least 5,000 government doctors in Uttar Pradesh. “In a large state like Uttar Pradesh, the availability of qualified doctors is crucial for the healthy lives of its residents,” the bench remarked.
Taking note of the situation, the bench ordered the government to file a “better affidavit” containing district-wise details of state government hospitals and medical colleges, including:
- Number of sanctioned positions for doctors and paramedical staff
- Number of positions actually filled
The matter has been listed for the next hearing in two months.
