Shortage of surgical instruments disrupts emergency surgeries at GTB Hospital
GTB Hospital
New Delhi: A severe shortage of essential surgical instruments has brought emergency services at Delhi government-run Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital to the brink, raising serious concerns over patient care and safety.
The shortage, which persisted for several weeks, has disrupted daily emergency operations and left medical staff scrambling to manage trauma and accident cases without basic tools. According to hospital sources, several key instruments — including artery forceps, mosquito forceps, sutures, surgical scissors, suture-holding forceps, kidney trays, dental wires, and cut sheets — are either damaged, incomplete, or unavailable altogether.
The situation has become so critical that even emergency surgeries are being delayed, leaving critical patients without timely treatment, the sources added.
Staff members say the supply chain for these instruments has been disrupted for months. Previously, smaller items costing a few thousand rupees could be sourced quickly from outside, but private procurement has reportedly been suspended for the last six to seven months. As a result, doctors are left to reuse worn-out tools or wait for instruments to be shared between departments.
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Despite repeated appeals to the administration to replenish supplies, the issue remains unresolved. The emergency ward at GTB Hospital — one of the busiest in East Delhi — handles hundreds of trauma and accident cases daily, leaving the medical staff increasingly frustrated and anxious.
As of now, there has been no official statement from the GTB Hospital administration regarding when or how the issue will be resolved.
