Hospital without a building? Indore's 'ghost hospital' has staff, transfers but no patients
In a striking example of bureaucratic dysfunction, a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh has doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians and pharmacists on its rolls—and continues to receive official transfer postings—despite not existing on the ground, a report by NDTV said.
Khajrana Civil Hospital in Indore, approved by the state government in 2020, has neither a building nor allotted land.
Yet, government records show that 87 posts have been sanctioned, appointments made and transfer orders issued in its name, said reports.
The latest such order, dated June 15, 2026, transferred a laboratory technician to the hospital, which has never treated a single patient.
Hospital exists only on paper
The Madhya Pradesh government approved the establishment of a 100-bed civil hospital in Khajrana on June 23, 2020, to cater to one of Indore's fastest-growing and most densely populated regions.
The proposed facility was expected to serve over three lakh residents of Khajrana, Musakhedi, Tejaji Nagar, Bicholi Hapsi and surrounding areas while reducing the patient load on MY Hospital, MTH Hospital and the District Hospital.
Along with the project approval, the government sanctioned 87 posts, including specialist doctors, medical officers, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians and support staff.
However, six years later, construction has not begun as authorities have yet to acquire land for the project.
Staff posted, but no hospital
Despite the absence of any physical infrastructure, Khajrana Civil Hospital continues to exist on official departmental records, according to reports.
Government employees continue to be appointed and transferred to the hospital on paper, although they are actually working at other government healthcare facilities across Indore.
Officials said the sanctioned staff have been attached to PC Sethi Hospital, Hukumchand Hospital, Sanjeevani Clinics and other medical institutions, while remaining officially linked to Khajrana Civil Hospital.
The proposed hospital currently has no address, wards, beds or patients.
Residents continue to suffer
The delay has left residents of Khajrana and neighbouring localities dependent on already overcrowded government hospitals elsewhere in the city.
Locals say the hospital could have significantly improved healthcare access and eased pressure on Indore's major public hospitals had the project been completed on schedule.
Government blames land delay
Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla said the project's scope had changed over the years.
According to him, the proposal, which initially envisioned an Urban Primary Health Centre, was later upgraded into a 50-bed civil hospital. However, construction could not begin because suitable government land was unavailable.
"The sanctioned posts continue to appear on the departmental portal. The CMHO can attach the paramedical staff to nearby Sanjeevani Clinics. We are actively searching for land for the 50-bed hospital," NDTV, quoted Shukla, as saying
He added that the employees have been adjusted against vacant posts at other healthcare facilities across Indore.
Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Madhav Hasani also confirmed that although staff appointments had been made specifically for Khajrana Civil Hospital, the department has been unable to secure suitable land.
"As of now, we have not taken possession of the land. Consequently, the data has not been updated at the departmental level, and construction work could not commence," he was quoted as saying by NDTV.
Dr. Hasani said the staff are currently deployed across 84 Sanjeevani Clinics and other government hospitals in the district according to operational requirements.
Congress alleges major scam
The opposition Congress has termed the episode a glaring case of administrative failure and demanded an inquiry.
Senior Congress leader and former minister Sajjan Singh Verma alleged that the matter points to a major scam.
"It is a bizarre situation where the hospital does not exist on the ground, yet staff are being posted there and even transferred. The Congress will strongly raise this issue in the House during the upcoming Assembly session," he told the media
Meanwhile, Arshad Mirza Beg, president of the Khajrana Hospital Sangharsh Samiti, claimed the demand for the hospital dates back to 2018 and accused the administration of delaying the project despite land being available.
According to him, valuable land earmarked for the hospital remains under illegal occupation, preventing the long-pending project from moving forward.
Support Our Journalism
We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism
IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.
Support objective journalism for a small contribution.
