Three hospitals to be merged into an autonomous institute
The Rekha Gupta Government plans to merge three major public hospitals in the Capital and develop them into a single autonomous medical institution on the lines of the country’s premier hospital system.
Under the proposal, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Delhi State Cancer Institute and Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will be integrated to form a unified “super medical hub” aimed at strengthening healthcare services and improving the use of medical infrastructure.
The initiative was discussed in a high-level review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister at the Delhi Secretariat. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh and senior officials from different departments.
Officials said the integration is intended to improve coordination between hospitals, make better use of existing infrastructure and ensure that specialised medical services are distributed more efficiently. According to the Government, the plan will help streamline super-speciality treatment while also addressing the uneven distribution of patient load across hospitals.
During the meeting, officials presented data showing the pressure faced by some hospitals and the underutilisation of resources in others.
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital currently operates beyond its intended capacity. The hospital was originally designed for around 1,400 beds but is presently managing more than 1,500 beds. It also receives more than 14 lakh outpatient visits every year and treats nearly 95,000 patients annually through inpatient services. In contrast, Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital has a total capacity of 650 beds, but only about 250 beds are currently operational. This leaves nearly 400 beds unused.
Delhi State Cancer Institute also faces heavy demand for cancer treatment services, handling around 1.27 lakh outpatient visits each year. Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital records about 2.87 lakh outpatient visits annually. Officials said the data highlights the need for better coordination between institutions so that resources, doctors and equipment can be used more effectively.
Under the proposed integration, super-speciality services will be organised in a more structured manner across the three hospitals.
Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital will focus on cardiology, pulmonology, gastroenterology, gastrointestinal surgery, nephrology, urology, rheumatology and clinical haematology.
Delhi State Cancer Institute will function as the main hub for cancer care. Services such as radiation oncology, surgical oncology, nuclear medicine, palliative care and radio-imaging will be concentrated there.
Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital will continue to strengthen departments such as orthopaedics, internal medicine, ENT, general surgery, neurosurgery, endocrinology and ophthalmology.
Officials also noted that many hospitals already possess expensive medical equipment that is not being fully utilised due to shortages of specialised staff or fragmented management.
For instance, advanced bronchoscopy facilities are available at Rajiv Gandhi Hospital, while the Delhi State Cancer Institute houses a linear accelerator used for radiotherapy. Rajiv Gandhi Hospital also has a cath lab and an echo lab facility, while GTB Hospital maintains a bone bank.
By integrating the institutions, the government aims to ensure that such specialised equipment is used more efficiently and shared across departments when required.
The government also announced a separate plan to upgrade the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences into a major national centre for mental health and neurosciences.
The institute will be developed on the lines of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences in Bengaluru and is proposed to be known as “NIMHANS-2”.
As part of the project, IHBAS will provide around 75 acres of its vacant land to support the development of a large integrated medical campus linked with GTB Hospital.
