Health + hospital RTI: roster, drugs, Ayushman

RTI Act §8(1)(j); §4(1)(b)(xii) [beneficiary list]; Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002 — physician's duty of confidentiality; doctor-patient privilege.

• Hospital duty roster — disclosable.
• Drug stock + availability data — disclosable.
• Hospital capacity + occupancy — disclosable per public-interest.
• Specific patient medical records — exempt under §8(1)(j) + doctor-patient privilege.
• Ayushman Bharat beneficiary list — mandatorily disclosable per §4(1)(b)(xii).
• Doctor qualifications + duty schedule — disclosable institutional data.
• Doctor service/performance records (ACRs, disciplinary records, individual metrics) — personal information under §8(1)(j); disclosable only where larger public interest is shown (Girish Deshpande).
• Hospital-level aggregate outcome statistics — disclosable.
• Health department inspection reports — disclosable.

1. Identify the request category — Institutional / patient / scheme-beneficiary / drug?
2. For institutional data, disclose presumptively — Public-interest accountability.
3. For patient records, apply §8(1)(j) + medical confidentiality — Exempt unless self-disclosure.
4. For scheme beneficiary lists, apply §4(1)(b)(xii) — Mandatorily disclosable.
5. For doctor data, separate institutional from personal — Qualifications/duty schedule disclosable; service/performance records are personal information under §8(1)(j) per Girish Deshpande, disclosed only where larger public interest is shown.
6. Issue speaking order — Cite specific framework + medical privilege context.

To: [Applicant Name]

Subject: Reply to RTI [____] — Health/hospital records

Sir/Madam,

Your application sought records related to [specific subject]. The framework applied:

INSTITUTIONAL DATA (duty roster, drug stock, infrastructure):
Disclosed — public-interest accountability dominates.

SPECIFIC PATIENT RECORDS:
Exempt under §8(1)(j) + doctor-patient privilege. Patient's own records: disclosed to patient on consent.

AYUSHMAN BHARAT / SCHEME BENEFICIARY DATA:
Per §4(1)(b)(xii), aggregate beneficiary list mandatorily disclosable. Disclosed: complete list for [scheme/period].

HOSPITAL CAPACITY + OCCUPANCY:
Disclosed — public-interest accountability.

DRUG STOCK + AVAILABILITY:
Disclosed.

DOCTOR DATA:
Per Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v CIC (SC 2013), service and performance records of a public servant are personal information under §8(1)(j) — disclosable only where larger public interest is shown. Applied:
- Qualifications: disclosed (institutional data)
- Duty schedule: disclosed (institutional data)
- Hospital-level aggregate outcome statistics: disclosed
- Individual performance records / ACRs / disciplinary records: not disclosed absent shown larger public interest — §8(1)(j) per Girish Deshpande
- Specific medical case decisions: exempt absent patient consent or shown larger public interest
- Doctor personal data: exempt §8(1)(j)

HEALTH DEPARTMENT INSPECTION REPORTS:
Disclosed per regulator accountability.

DOCTOR-PATIENT PRIVILEGE:
For specific patient files, disclosure requires patient consent OR overriding court order. RTI does not override this medical privilege.

Section 10 severability throughout.

Yours faithfully,
[Name, Designation, PIO]

Disclosed to patient on consent.

Exempt under §8(1)(j) + doctor-patient privilege.

Disclosed — public-interest in drug availability.

Mandatorily disclosed per §4(1)(b)(xii).

An individual doctor's success rate is personal performance information — §8(1)(j) applies; disclose only where larger public interest is shown (Girish Deshpande). Hospital-level aggregate outcome statistics are disclosable.

Exempt under §8(1)(j) + privilege; a death or complaint inquiry can establish the larger public interest that justifies disclosure.

Disclosed per regulator accountability.

• CBSE v Aditya Bandopadhyay (SC 2011) — RTI exemptions must be read purposively, harmonising the citizen's right to know with protected interests.
• Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v CIC (SC 2013) — Service and performance records of a public servant are personal information under §8(1)(j); disclosure only where larger public interest is shown.
• CIC orders on Ayushman Bharat (2020–2024) — Beneficiary disclosure framework; cite the specific order number and date in your reply.
• Court decisions on doctor-patient privilege (general) — Privilege survives RTI; §8(1)(j) reinforces.

• Disclosing specific patient diagnosis — violates §8(1)(j) + privilege.
• Refusing aggregate beneficiary lists — violates §4(1)(b)(xii).
• Disclosing individual doctor performance/ACRs without a shown larger public interest — violates §8(1)(j) per Girish Deshpande; equally, blanket-refusing doctor qualifications/duty schedule — those are institutional data.
• Refusing drug stock — public-interest accountability override.
• Failing to apply patient consent process for self-records.
• Generic refusal of inspection reports — accountability fails.

• Maintain a per-hospital log — track common request categories.
• For patient records, develop consent verification process.
• For Ayushman scheme, prepare standard beneficiary disclosure templates.
• For drug stock, coordinate with pharmacy department.
• Train medical staff on patient-vs-institutional distinction.
• For doctor data, separate institutional details (qualifications, roster) from personal performance records — apply §8(1)(j) + Girish Deshpande balancing to the latter.
• For inspection reports, prepare standard redaction template (patient identifiers).

Read next:

• The RTI Playbook
• RTI Act section 8 exemptions
• PIO knowledge base
• PIO Supreme Court rulings
• RTI for Ayushman Bharat claim

Yes — on consent, hospital must provide.

Generally no without consent. Exception: deceased + accountability question.

Exempt under §8(1)(j) — not work record.

Disclosed per accountability. Specific patient identifiers redacted.

Disclosable — benefit-denial accountability.

RTI Act §8(1)(j) + §4(1)(b)(xii); Indian Medical Council (Professional Conduct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002; doctor-patient privilege framework; Girish Ramchandra Deshpande v CIC (SC 2013); CIC health-related orders.