New Delhi, March 23 – Healthcare infrastructure in Delhi saw modest expansion in 2025-26, with the addition of 1,288 beds, even as the government plans a much larger capacity boost through new hospitals and remodeling of existing facilities, according to the 2025-26 Economic Survey.
The total number of beds in the city increased from 62,514 in 2024-25 to 63,802 in 2025-26. This increase was largely driven by hospitals run by the Indian government, other autonomous bodies, and private nursing homes, with no increase in bed capacity in hospitals run by the Delhi Municipal Corporation and the New Delhi Municipal Council.
Within Delhi government hospitals, the number of beds increased from 14,380 to 15,659, representing an increase of 1,279 beds, or approximately 8.89 percent, even though the number of hospitals remained unchanged at 40, indicating that expansion is occurring within existing facilities.
However, access remains limited, with the bed population ratio rising only marginally from 2.82 to 2.84 beds per 1,000 people, still well below the World Health Organization's norm of five beds per 1,000 population.
Private hospitals, nursing homes, and voluntary organizations account for 53.49 percent of the total number of beds, followed by Delhi government hospitals at 24.54 percent, Indian government hospitals at 15.94 percent, and local bodies at 6.03 percent, highlighting the dominance of the private sector.
The survey highlighted future expansion plans, stating that remodeling of 13 existing hospitals is expected to add more than 5,400 beds, while 11 new hospital projects across the city are planned with an estimated capacity of over 10,000 beds.
Alongside infrastructure, emergency response services showed improved efficiency. The Centralized Accident & Trauma Service (CATS) received over 5.04 lakh calls in 2025 (up to November 30), down by 10.7 percent from over 5.64 lakh calls in 2024. The number of patients transported also decreased slightly, from over 4.29 lakh in 2024 to over 4.25 lakh.
Despite this, the patient transport rate improved to 84.3 percent in 2025 from 75.9 percent in 2024, representing an increase of 8.4 percentage points.
The total number of medical institutions rose from approximately 3,711 in FY 2024-25 to 3,878 in FY 2025-26, representing an increase of 167 institutions or 4.5 percent. This growth has primarily come from smaller facilities such as dispensaries, polyclinics, specialized clinics, and medical colleges, while the number of hospitals remained unchanged.
A total of 926 nursing officers, 141 paramedical staff, and 127 non-teaching specialists were recruited, while 4,478 posts were created across medical, nursing, and paramedical categories.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), over 7.45 lakh Ayushman cards were created, including over 2.79 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY).
As of March 20, 2026, 208 hospitals, 155 private, and 53 government hospitals were empanelled under the scheme. A total of 29,120 patients were treated, and 22,817 claim payments were initiated.
The Health Department has also operationalized the MedLEaPR (Medico-Legal Examination and Postmortem Reporting) portal, integrated with the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS), with 519 hospitals onboarded so far.
In the tuberculosis program, the public sector notified over 75,000 TB patients, achieving 103 percent of its target, while the private sector notified over 30,000 patients, reaching 94 percent of its target.
Among these, 90.5 percent of public sector patients and 82 percent of private sector patients had known HIV status. Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) was conducted for 51 percent of patients in the public sector and 28 percent in the private sector.
The treatment success rate stood at 82 percent in the public sector and 69 percent in the private sector. Under the Nikshay Poshan Yojana, 66 percent of eligible beneficiaries received financial support, while 86 percent of diagnosed MDR-TB patients were started on treatment.
Meanwhile, vector-borne diseases saw a significant decline in 2025. Cases of Chikungunya decreased from 267 to 168, representing a decrease of about 37 percent, with no deaths reported in either year.
Dengue cases dropped from 6,391 to 1,399, representing a decrease of about 78 percent, while deaths decreased from 11 to two, representing a reduction of around 82 percent.
Malaria cases decreased from 792 to 719, representing a decrease of about 9.2 percent, with no deaths reported in both years. Overall, vector-borne diseases saw a total decrease in cases from 7,450 in 2024 to 2,286 in 2025, representing a decrease of about 69 percent.
On the HIV/AIDS front, from April 1 to October 31, 2025, a total of 3,274 people were detected as HIV positive among more than eight lakh individuals screened, including 3,034 general clients and 240 pregnant women.
As of October 31, 2025, 43,035 persons living with HIV were under active care at 12 ART centers, including 2,934 newly registered during the financial year.
The Delhi government continues to provide financial assistance to eligible beneficiaries, with 7,670 people enrolled cumulatively, of whom 6,878 are currently receiving support.
