Activist Muhammad Suhail Dar
Bilal Bhat
A major healthcare scandal has come to light in Jammu and Kashmir, revealing that multiple government hospitals have not spent a single rupee on housekeeping, outsourcing of cleaning services, or even disposable medical gowns for the last five years. The revelations, based on RTI responses filed by Kashmir’s renowned education and RTI activist Muhammad Suhail Dar, expose alarming financial mismanagement and potential corruption in the region’s public healthcare system.
RTI responses from hospitals in Langate, Villgam, Zachaldara, Handwara, and other blocks show that these facilities have officially declared zero expenditure on housekeeping from 2020 to 2024. Furthermore, none of these hospitals have outsourced housekeeping services, leaving a glaring question: how are these hospitals being maintained? In a particularly bizarre response, the Block Medical Officer (BMO) Handwara stated that the total housekeeping expenditure over five years was a mere ₹40,000, covering soap, broomsticks, and Harpic for “emergency use.” For an entire hospital, this amount is shockingly inadequate, casting serious doubts on hygiene and infection control.
Muhammad Suhail Dar, who filed the RTI, called the responses “an absolute mockery of governance.” “The government hospitals are running without any documented expenditure on cleaning services, sanitary supplies, or outsourced housekeeping. Either these hospitals are shockingly mismanaged, or there is a systematic cover-up of funds that were meant for public healthcare. This is an unacceptable betrayal of the people,” he said.
Hospitals operate in environments where sanitation is critical. The absence of any recorded expenditure on cleaning services and essential medical supplies raises obvious concerns. If these hospitals truly have not spent a rupee on hygiene services, patients should be witnessing catastrophic levels of filth. If cleaning is taking place but expenditures are not recorded, it suggests a deliberate effort to conceal financial fraud. Several sources within the health department, speaking anonymously, admitted that cleaning is often carried out by local sweepers or contractual workers who are either paid off the record or forced to work without proper contracts or salaries.
Another major revelation from the RTI inquiry is that hospitals are not purchasing disposable medical gowns for patients and staff. Several BMOs claimed their facilities receive gowns from district stores, meaning they do not incur direct procurement costs. However, patients frequently report being forced to buy their own gowns, contradicting official claims. This raises the possibility of gowns either being siphoned off before reaching hospitals or being resold in the market.
Local activist Imran Majeed, who has been vocal about healthcare frauds in Kashmir, said this is part of a larger pattern of mismanagement and corruption. “The healthcare sector in Kashmir is plagued with financial frauds. If hospitals claim zero housekeeping expenses for five years, does that mean they are functioning in filth? Of course not. This is classic corruption—public funds are disappearing, and no one is held accountable. Who is pocketing the money that should be spent on hospital maintenance and patient care?” he questioned.
Despite repeated RTI reminders, several hospitals and Block Medical Offices refused to respond, raising further suspicions. The silence from many BMOs suggests either gross negligence or a deliberate attempt to hide financial details. Some officials, when contacted, refused to comment or redirected queries to higher authorities, exposing a culture of secrecy.
Under the J&K Nursing Homes and Clinical Establishments Act, 1963 (amended in 2006), all healthcare facilities, whether government-run or private, are mandated to ensure proper hygiene and patient care. If these hospitals have truly not spent on housekeeping, it is a direct violation of the law. The refusal of many BMOs to disclose financial records under the Right to Information (RTI) Act further raises serious concerns.
If no money is being spent on cleaning, outsourcing, or essential supplies, where is the government’s hospital funding going? Healthcare activists and RTI campaigners are now demanding an immediate audit by the Directorate of Health Services, J&K, and an independent investigation into hospital expenditures. The refusal of hospitals to provide clear financial records suggests that public healthcare funds are either being mismanaged, embezzled, or diverted elsewhere.
The lack of transparency is not just a financial scandal—it is a direct threat to public health and patient safety. If authorities do not intervene, thousands of patients in Kashmir will continue to suffer due to unhygienic hospital conditions and lack of basic medical supplies.
This scandal exposes the failure of governance in Kashmir’s healthcare system. With hospital administrations refusing to acknowledge their financial obligations and the government failing to ensure accountability, the burden falls on the patients who suffer due to corruption and mismanagement. The RTI responses have revealed a web of unanswered questions: how are these hospitals being maintained without any documented expenditure? If cleaning services exist, why are the funds not accounted for? Why did so many hospitals refuse to respond to RTI requests? What are they hiding?
Unless an independent inquiry is launched and strict accountability measures are enforced, this scandal will deepen, further eroding public trust in the region’s healthcare system. The people of Jammu and Kashmir deserve hospitals that are clean, transparent, and functional—not facilities that operate under secrecy while public funds vanish without a trace.
