How RTI Can Help You Understand Services in Government Hospitals

Health is the one area where information gaps cost lives. Delayed referrals. Out-of-stock essential medicines. Dialysis machines shown in the records but not functional. Ambulances on paper but not on the road. For the patient, each gap is catastrophic. For the system, each gap is fixable — if someone asks.

RTI is that asking.

• Medicines you are told are “out of stock” repeatedly.
• Doctor, anaesthetist, or specialist absent on fixed days.
• ICU always full, even when beds appear empty.
• Diagnostic machine “under repair” for months.
• Ayushman Bharat claim denied despite empanelment.
• Free-scheme benefit not extended.
• Referral refused without documented reason.

• Doctor duty roster and OPD attendance register.
• Medicine stock register and procurement orders.
• Equipment register (status: functional / repair / scrapped).
• ICU / HDU bed occupancy register.
• Diagnostic service availability and average waiting time.
• Referral register — cases referred out of the hospital.
• Free-scheme billing to Ayushman Bharat / state schemes.
• Infection control reports.
• Blood bank stock.
• Ambulance service logs.
• Last three inspection reports by CMO / CDMO.

• State portal → Department of Health & Family Welfare → concerned hospital.
• For AIIMS, PGIMER, Safdarjung: rtionline.gov.in → Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• For Ayushman Bharat (PM-JAY): National Health Authority CPIO, on rtionline.gov.in.

• Public Information Officer, [Hospital Name] / Office of the Chief Medical Officer, [District].
• Rs. 10 fee (IPO); BPL free.
• Send by Speed Post.

To,
The Public Information Officer,
[Name of Hospital / Office of the Chief Medical and Health Officer],
[Address]

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005, regarding services at [Hospital Name], [Location].

Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], citizen of India and resident of [Full Address], submit this request for information under the RTI Act, 2005:

Hospital name: ________
Period for which information is sought: [DD-MM-YYYY] to [DD-MM-YYYY]

Please provide:

1. OPD duty roster of all doctors — specialist and general duty — during the above period, with actual attendance recorded.

2. List of sanctioned and vacant posts — doctor, specialist, nurse, pharmacist, lab technician.

3. Essential drug list (EDL) stock position for the above period — item-wise, with receipts, issues, and balance.

4. Equipment register — functional status of X-ray, ultrasound, dialysis, ventilator, ECG, laboratory analyser — with dates of last maintenance.

5. ICU / HDU bed register showing occupancy and turnover.

6. Diagnostic services — number of tests offered, average waiting time, total patients served.

7. Referral register — cases referred out, with reasons, during the above period.

8. Free-scheme billing — number of Ayushman Bharat / state scheme beneficiaries, treatment packages, and amount claimed / received.

9. Last three inspection reports of the hospital by the CMO / Civil Surgeon / Regional Health Office, with compliance status.

10. Copy of the Citizen Charter of the hospital, and the designated grievance redressal officer's contact.

I enclose Indian Postal Order No. __________ dated __________ for Rs. 10.

I declare that I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,

[Full Name]
[Signature]
[Date] [Place]

1. Duty roster and attendance.
2. Vacancies.
3. Drug stock register.
4. Equipment register.
5. ICU register.
6. Diagnostic service data.
7. Referral register.
8. Ayushman Bharat billing.
9. Inspection reports.
10. Citizen Charter and grievance officer.

• Day 0 – 15: File pulled, registers copied.
• Day 15 – 30: Many hospitals do an internal course-correction — stock gaps are filled, equipment repaired.
• Day 30: Reply arrives.
• Day 31+: First Appeal to the CMO / MS.
• Day 60+: Second Appeal to SIC / CIC (central institutions).

RTI in healthcare is most powerful when used as a systemic lens, not a personal weapon.

• Ask for registers, not for another patient's medical records.
• Ask about institutional gaps, not about individual doctor's performance.
• Share the reply with the CMO before going public — often, that alone brings change.
• Remember: a senior doctor's notes about a specific patient are protected under Section 8(1)(j) — doctor–patient privilege is also upheld in CIC orders.

• Asking for another patient's records — not disclosable.
• Asking about individual promotion / disciplinary matters — mostly exempt.
• Skipping the hospital PIO and going straight to the state. Slower.
• Not specifying the period. Without dates, registers cannot be located.

• Use the IPHS checklist alongside. Your RTI then tests standard vs reality.
• For rural PHCs / CHCs, ask about the visit register of the CMO. Field visits are often on paper only.
• Compare medicine stock against the State Essential Drug List. The gaps are your next health priority.

Q1. Can I ask for another patient's records?
No. Patient records of third parties are protected under Section 8(1)(j), reinforced by CIC orders. Ask for aggregated, anonymised data.

Q2. Can I ask for my own medical records via RTI?
Yes. Your own records are disclosable to you. File an RTI with the hospital PIO.

Q3. Ayushman Bharat claim was denied. Can RTI help?
Yes. Ask the SHA / NHA CPIO for the exact reason for denial, the officer, and the appeal path.

Q4. Doctor was not present when I visited. Can I file RTI?
Yes — ask for the duty roster and attendance register for that date. Institutional question, not personal.

Q5. Blood bank refused to give me blood. Is that RTI-able?
Yes. Ask for the stock register, the tests done, the issuance register, and any circulars on issuance policy.

A hospital is a public institution running on public money with the duty to serve the public. When citizens engage with the registers, the institution gets better — faster stock-outs get noticed, equipment gets repaired, referrals become transparent.

Use RTI as a constructive lamp. The patients who come after you will benefit.

• Pillar — RTI for community & society
• Track public spending via RTI
• Government scheme delay
• File RTI online
• 25 RTI questions answered

Last reviewed: 24 April 2026. References verified against IPHS Guidelines, 2022, and National Health Authority (PM-JAY) SOPs.