Delhi’s healthcare system is under severe strain. With a population now exceeding 20 million, the city’s public health capacity has not kept pace. For example, Delhi’s hospital bed-population ratio was only about 3 beds per 1,000 people (2017); far below the World Health Organization’s 5/1,000 recommendation and short of the National Health Policy target of 2/1,000. Government hospitals alone provide just 0.68 beds per 1,000 (2021–22) meaning almost half of Delhi’s ~60,000 hospital beds are in private facilities. Budget promises have fallen short: the 2016–17 Delhi budget pledged 10,000 new beds, but only ~1,357 were added over the next six years.
These figures underscore an urgent need to expand capacity and improve planning.
Key Gaps in Delhi’s Healthcare Infrastructure
- Bed Shortage & Infrastructure: Delhi had only 88 hospitals as of 2018, with a mere 7 primary health centers (PHCs) for its tens of millions of residents. The overall bed‑population ratio crept up to only 2.99/1,000 by 2017, half the WHO benchmark. Notably, about 50% of beds are in private hospitals. So public sector capacity is especially thin (0.68 beds/1,000 versus the 2/1,000 “desirable” norm. Many new hospital projects have lagged: for example, 11 facilities started in 2020–21 remain incomplete, requiring ~₹9,000 crore to finish.
- Manpower & Quality: Delhi faces acute staff shortages – CAG auditors found a 21% deficit in sanctioned health department positions, with nurses down 21% and paramedics 38%. This under-staffing contributes to overburdened hospitals (routine surgery wait-times of 2–8 months) and very brief patient consultations. Essential medicines are often unavailable – hospitals had to procure 33–47% of essential drugs outside the system. Together, these issues indicate both quantity and quality gaps.
- Last-Mile & Primary Care: Preventive and primary care reach remains limited. In 2018 Delhi had only 7 PHCs and 54 polyclinics, but it operated 1,298 dispensaries and 1,160 nursing homes (mostly private) to fill the gap. The Delhi government itself runs 656 dispensaries (including 166 Mohalla clinics), providing free basic care. These Mohalla Clinics (neighbourhood clinics launched in 2015) are highly utilized – they recorded 1.94 crore patient visits in 2023 (though dropped to 1.39 crore in 2024 due to drug shortages)
- This shows strong demand: in fact, women patients greatly outnumber men at these clinics. However, reliance on such small clinics underscores that Delhi still needs more comprehensive community health centers and better drug supply to truly reach all residents.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP): An Opportunity
These gaps suggest a need to “break the mould” of traditional planning. A formal PPP approach can mobilize new investment and expertise. Delhi is already moving in this direction: the government (2025) has invited bids to complete and operate 11 new hospitals under PPP, which together would add 10,073 beds (including 4,314 ICU beds). These include four multi-specialty general hospitals and seven ICU hospitals distributed across Delhi. Recognizing funding limits, officials have explicitly said they will “explore the possibility of completion, commissioning, operation and maintenance” of these hospitals via PPP
Existing examples reinforce the model’s promise. For instance, specialty services are already PPP-run: some Delhi government hospitals have dialysis units managed through PPP contracts. The city also runs schemes that leverage private capacity: the “Free Surgery” program refers patients to empanelled private hospitals for procedures.
In the private sector, large health city projects illustrate the approach. A notable case is in Saket, South Delhi: Max Healthcare partnered with Smart Health City (a private developer) to expand Saket City Hospital from 230 beds to ~1,200, then integrate it with the adjacent Max Saket hospital (1,241 beds) into a ~2,000-bed medical campus. This venture explicitly aims to build a “world class MediCity” in the capital– a self-contained healthcare ecosystem. Such collaborations show how government, investors and providers can align to rapidly upscale capacity.
“Health Cities” in Urban Planning (Preventive, Curative, Geriatric & Palliative districts)
Urban planners argue for integrated health districts. A recent industry report proposes developing dozens of “MediCities” (e.g. 23-30+ acres each in each Zone or demographic grid) PPP-driven health hubs combining hospitals, research, education, wellness and residential facilities. These would be “health hubs which would have everything from Yoga (preventive) to OPD malls, multi layer polyclinics, grades of bedded hospitals from 10-150 beds) to zones of dedicated affordable care quotas. The principle remains: each planning zone under MPD-2021 could reserve a health city cluster or dedicates hubs can be created in the Green development area villages. Such clusters would co-locate tertiary hospitals, specialist clinics, training institutes and support services in a planned campus. Designing around transit (future metro/bus/MRTS routes) and including Doctors/ Nursing / patient housing can make these true all-in-one medical townships. Formalizing the health city concept through the Delhi Master Plan 2041 and PPP could replicate this model city-wide.
The Way Forward
- Massively expand capacity: Delhi should plan and build thousands more beds to reach at least the NHP norms (2/1,000) and ideally more toward WHO norms.
- Formalize PPP frameworks: Establish clear PPP policies for healthcare (like special purpose vehicles or PPP cells) so that consultants and well intentioned think tanks like Delhi Consortiums can act as a catalyst and bridge for all the stakeholders including government, investors, real estate developers and healthcare providers.
- Integrate health into urban plans: Incorporate 20–30 acre health-city blocks into each zone’s layout (as MPD-2021 suggests for institutional projects). These clusters should be zoned for large healthcare use and mixed amenities. Planning authorities (DDA, DSIIDC) and consultants (e.g. Delhi Consortiums) must coordinate to allocate land, simplify approvals, and attract anchor stakeholders.
- Strengthen primary care & last-mile access: The open areas in the project can be dedicated for Preventive health & wellness; which form the basis for reducing the burden of healthcare on the Government.
- Improve quality and management: Address staff shortages by integrating training and recruitment facilities within these hubs.
By combining hard data with innovative planning, Delhi can “leap” beyond incremental fixes. A PPP-driven approach – Consultants, government, investors, and healthcare providers collaborating – can rapidly add capacity and upgrade quality. Integrated zonal health cities would bring modern, accessible care closer to every neighborhood by 2041. These steps, backed by data and clear policy, will help break traditional bottlenecks and truly strengthen Delhi’s health system
The need of the hour is these ‘Healthcare & Wellness hubs’ which can be created within the PSP quota within each sector and large format development under the GDA policy of Delhi Master Plan 2041.