Crores spent, machines idle: Audit flags unused equipment in 26 Delhi govt hospitals

Audit reports placed before the Delhi High Court show crores worth of medical equipment lying unused across Delhi government hospitals. The disclosures have highlighted gaps in staffing, maintenance, installation and planning, prompting directions to put usable machines into service.Delhi hospitals report unused medical equipment amid manpower, maintenance gaps (Photo: ITG)Medical equipment worth crores of rupees is lying unused across Delhi government hospitals, with hospitals citing reasons ranging from shortage of trained manpower and pending repairs to lack of accessories, non-functional machines and equipment procured during the Covid-19 pandemic.The details have emerged from status reports submitted by 26 Delhi government hospitals and compiled by the Delhi government in an affidavit before the Delhi High Court. The reports were filed after the court directed a comprehensive audit of medical equipment and machinery available at government hospitals.The findings, based on the hospitals’ own audit reports, show that expensive equipment has remained idle for years despite significant public expenditure. In several cases, machines are functional but cannot be used because specialists or technicians are unavailable; in others, equipment is awaiting repairs, testing, installation or essential accessories.COSTLY EQUIPMENT LIES IDLE AT CANCER INSTITUTEThe Delhi State Cancer Institute’s audit report highlights some of the most expensive equipment lying unused or only partly operational. Its Department of Nuclear Medicine has three high-value machines in this category:Medical Cyclotron (PET-Trace 10): Purchased in 2017 for USD2.532 million, plus Rs 64 lakh in local supplies and Rs 2.5 crore in turnkey costs. It is unused due to lack of manpower.PET Scanner with integrated CT: Purchased in 2021 for USD 2.479 million plus Rs 65.38 lakh in local supplies. The CT component is in use, but the PET component is awaiting NEMA testing and the machine is under evaluation.Dual Head Gamma Camera with SPECT and Multi-Slice CT: Purchased in 2017 for USD 1.3515 million plus Rs 26.68 lakh in local supplies. It is currently unused and non-functional and is under evaluation. The Molecular Oncology Lab has listed 32 unused pieces of equipment, with the recorded purchase cost of 23 of them totalling around Rs 3.75 crore. Reasons include non-functional machines, pending repairs, discontinued equipment, absence of principal equipment, manpower shortage and lack of current requirement.A DNA/RNA Extractor worth Rs 30.90 lakh is also unused and awaiting directions for repair. The Gastroenterology Department has three scopes purchased in 2014 at a combined cost of Rs 77.01 lakh. One Upper GI Scope is in use, while another Upper GI Scope and a Lower GI Scope have reached the end of their service life and are unused.COVID MACHINES NOW LYING UNUSEDAt Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, the audit reveals another major category of unused equipment: machines procured or received during the Covid-19 pandemic that are no longer required after the hospital returned to normal functioning.At least 350 units across additional departments have been reported as unused, largely because they were procured or indented during Covid-19 and are no longer required after wards returned to normal functioning. Equipment with identifiable costs alone is worth around Rs 90.30 lakh. Some of the equipment includes:22 Astrol 150 ventilators — Rs 12.10 lakh20 Swasthvayu BiPAPs — Rs 17 lakh10 BiPAP machines — Rs 9 lakhSeven ventilators — Rs 15.12 lakh13 Dhaman ventilators — Rs 28.08 lakhThe hospital said some machines are being retained for emergency or disaster requirements.At Lok Nayak Hospital, 44 BiPAP machines worth Rs 63.80 lakh and 34 oxygen concentrators worth Rs 16.90 lakh have been reported as unused. The 78 machines, worth around Rs 80.70 lakh, were received during Covid-19 and have been kept for use in various wards as required.An oxygen buffer tank at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital offers another example of infrastructure that never became operational. The Rs 94.82-lakh tank, installed in 2021, was donated to the hospital but was never connected to its Medical Gas Pipeline System.At DDU Hospital, two eye-bank machines -- a Rs 20.95-lakh specular microscope and a Rs 1.20-lakh laminar air-flow unit --have remained unused since 2019. The equipment was procured to establish a functional eye bank, but the facility could not become operational due to non-renewal of corneal transplantation permission, lack of trained corneal specialists, the Covid-19 shutdown and later a shortage of trained ophthalmologists.MANPOWER, INSTALLATION GAPS KEEP MACHINES IDLEThe audit also shows that some equipment is functional but remains unused because hospitals lack the specialists needed to operate it.At Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital, an Ultrasound Unit/Colour Doppler worth Rs 24.93 lakh has remained unused for four years because a radiologist is unavailable.At BR Sur Homeopathic College, a fully functional ultrasound machine worth Rs 19.08 lakh is also not being used because there is no radiologist. The hospital said it is in the process of engaging one.At GNEX Delhi, an Anaesthesia Work Station procured through the CPA is awaiting tender documents, technical specifications and a list of accessories. The equipment has yet to be installed by the OEM.At GIPMER, no department reported unused medical equipment and the institute said all equipment was in use. However, an Anaesthesia Work Station indented from the IGH warehouse on May 18, 2026, is still awaiting installation because technical documents and accessories are pending from the CPA.HIGH COURT SEEKS BETTER USE OF EQUIPMENTThe disclosures come as the Delhi High Court examines the availability of ventilator-equipped ICU beds and functioning emergency helplines at government hospitals.During the proceedings, the court expressed concern over reports of imported medical equipment worth around Rs 50-60 crore lying unused, citing manpower shortages and lack of necessary accessories among the reasons.The court directed the authorities to ensure adequate manpower to operate the equipment and said machines that were not being used should be shifted to hospitals where they were needed. It also ordered that necessary equipment and accessories be provided without delay.The Delhi State Cancer Institute came in for particular scrutiny, with the court describing the situation there as especially concerning.A ground report by Aaj Tak, India Today's sister channel, subsequently examined the institute and reported that its Medical Cyclotron had remained shut since 2022. The machine is used to produce FDG, a radiopharmaceutical required for PET scans. However, the hospital’s audit report records the cyclotron as purchased in 2017 and currently unused due to lack of manpower.MINISTER BLAMES AAP GOVT, FLAGS STAFF SHORTAGEDelhi Health Minister Dr Pankaj Singh, speaking to Aaj Tak, blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party government for purchasing expensive medical machines and said the present government was examining the matter. He said efforts were underway to put usable equipment into service in line with the High Court’s directions.Singh said Delhi’s government hospitals had faced a staff shortage of around 21%, adding that recruitment had been undertaken since the present government took office. He also said the government was working on a public-private partnership model to provide CT scans, MRI and ultrasound services round the clock.The minister also cited a 2024 Anti-Corruption Branch case, claiming that the probe had found irregularities and that around 15 companies had been blacklisted. He said a committee was examining the matter and appropriate action would be taken against those found responsible.The audit findings, however, raise a much bigger question: How much of Delhi’s public spending on medical infrastructure is translating into actual patient care when machines remain idle because of manpower, maintenance, installation and procurement-related gaps?- EndsPublished By: Priyanka KumariPublished On: Aug 11, 2026 18:04 IST