Data from Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala for the last 11 months revealed that nearly 720 doctors and 225 MBBS interns attended to an average of 800 OPD and 130 IPD patients per day. While most government hospitals were facing a severe shortage of doctors, Government Rajindra Hospital was overstaffed with more health specialists than patients.

The hospital data showed that from January 1, 2021, to November 30, 2021, around 2.24 lakh and 34, 535 patients were registered for OPD and IPD. On analyzing the data, several experts stated that despite sufficient manpower, better healthcare was still beyond the reach of poor patients.

When questioned about the hospital being overstaffed, Dr. Harjinder Singh, Director Principal, Government Medical College, and Hospital, answered that non-clinical department doctors, including several members of the faculty, do not attend to patients.