NEW DELHI: The emergency ward of Delhi government-run Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital is reeling under an acute shortage of essential surgical instruments, forcing doctors to raise alarm over the growing strain on patient care and safety.
The crisis, which has persisted for weeks, has disrupted critical procedures and left medical staff struggling to manage emergencies.
According to hospital sources, several vital tools — including artery forceps, sutures, mosquito forceps, surgical scissors, suture-holding forceps, kidney trays, cut sheets, and dental wires — are either damaged, incomplete, or unavailable. The shortage has become so severe that emergency surgeries are being delayed, leaving critical patients waiting for treatment, the sources added.
In a letter to the hospital administration, doctors from the main emergency ward described the situation as unprecedented. “We are facing a shortage of surgical instruments in the main emergency. Either they are non-functional or in poor condition. Some items are not available at all,” the letter stated.
Hospital staff said the supply of these instruments has been disrupted for several months. “Earlier, if something broke or went missing, we could immediately arrange small instruments costing two to three thousand rupees from outside. But for the last six to seven months, private purchases have been completely suspended. Now, even basic tools are unavailable, and the emergency is suffering,” a staff member said.
Doctors warned that the shortage is undermining their ability to perform timely surgical interventions. “We often have to wait for instruments to be shared between units or reuse old and damaged ones, which is unsafe. Such delays can cost patients their lives,” said another doctor.
Sources said repeated appeals have been made to the administration to replenish the stock, but the problem remains unresolved. The GTB Hospital emergency ward, one of the busiest in East Delhi, handles hundreds of trauma and accident cases daily, leaving staff increasingly frustrated and anxious.
As of now, there has been no official response from the hospital administration on when the supply of surgical instruments will be restored.
