Paper Hospital, Real Staff: The Story Behind Indore's Ghost Hospital

A shocking case of administrative failure has emerged from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where a proposed 100-bed Civil Hospital in Khajrana reportedly existed only on paper for nearly six years. Despite having no land, no building, and not a single brick laid, the hospital had 87 sanctioned staff positions, with appointments, transfers, and postings continuing as if the facility were operational. The revelation has triggered widespread criticism and demands for accountability.

The Khajrana Civil Hospital project was approved in June 2020 to improve healthcare for more than three lakh residents in the area. However, six years later, the project remains stalled because the government has not secured suitable land for construction. As a result, the hospital has never become operational.

What has surprised many is that 87 posts, including specialist doctors, medical officers, staff nurses, pharmacists, and laboratory technicians, were sanctioned for the proposed hospital. Government records also show that transfer and posting orders continued to be issued in the hospital's name, even though the building does not exist. Officials have clarified that these employees were not drawing salaries without working; instead, they were deployed to other government hospitals and health centres across Indore until the new hospital is built.

Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Madhav Hasani said the project was delayed because authorities were unable to identify suitable government land in the urban area. Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla also defended the arrangement, stating that staff had been adjusted at existing healthcare facilities to avoid manpower shortages while the project awaited land allocation.

The opposition, however, has questioned how appointments and transfers could continue for a hospital that has no physical existence. Critics argue that the case reflects poor planning, administrative inefficiency, and a lack of oversight in public healthcare projects.

Although officials maintain that the employees were performing duties elsewhere and that public money was not spent on a non-functioning workforce, the episode has become a symbol of bureaucratic dysfunction. The controversy highlights the urgent need for better planning, transparency, and accountability in government infrastructure projects to ensure that healthcare promises translate into real facilities on the ground.