Delhi EWS Hospital Treatment: 107 Identified, 10% IPD and 25% OPD Quotas

The news

The Delhi government has told the Supreme Court in an affidavit that 107 hospitals in the city are bound to provide free treatment to economically weaker sections (EWS). The affidavit, filed in November 2026, follows allegations that 51 hospitals were not complying with the free-treatment conditions and were under scrutiny. The government said it had identified 56 additional hospitals using land-allotment information from the Delhi Development Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Land and Development Office, taking the total to 107.

Under a 2018 Supreme Court decision, hospitals established on leased land must provide free treatment to 10% of in-patients and 25% of out-patients from the EWS category. The Delhi government stated that 28 of the newly identified hospitals had recently been issued notices. The identification of 107 hospitals does not by itself establish that every hospital is complying; the 51 hospitals that were already under scrutiny remain the subject of court proceedings.

What was the 2018 Supreme Court case on hospital land?

The 2018 Supreme Court decision arose from a public interest litigation filed by the NGO Social Jurist, which argued that private hospitals built on subsidised public land were not honouring their obligation to treat poor patients free of cost. The court directed the Delhi government to enforce the free-treatment condition that was part of the original land-allotment terms. This condition had been stipulated by agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority and the Land and Development Office when they leased land at concessional rates to charitable hospitals and later to private hospitals. The ruling reinforced that the obligation to reserve 10 per cent IPD and 25 per cent OPD capacity for EWS patients is a binding contractual and statutory duty, not a voluntary gesture.

What does the 2018 Supreme Court decision require?

The 2018 Supreme Court decision applies to hospitals that were allotted land on a lease basis at concessional rates. Such hospitals are required to reserve 10% of beds in the in-patient department and 25% of patient capacity in the out-patient department for free treatment of economically weaker sections. The obligation is a condition of the land allotment and is enforceable by the government and the court.

What has been achieved and what remains unclear?

The Delhi government has expanded the list of hospitals under the obligation from 51 to 107, using land records from three agencies. This wider identification can improve monitoring. However, the affidavit does not state how many of the 107 hospitals are actually providing the mandated free treatment. Of the 56 newly identified hospitals, only 28 have been issued notices so far, and the compliance status of the remaining 28 is not disclosed. The 51 hospitals that were already under scrutiny are still facing court proceedings, indicating that non-compliance remains a live issue.