Lucknow: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government over the condition of the state’s public healthcare system, claiming that 8,689 doctors’ posts are lying vacant in government hospitals, severely affecting medical services across the state.
Addressing the media in Lucknow, AAP Uttar Pradesh’s Chief State Spokesperson Vanshraj Dubey alleged that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s claim of a “Healthy Uttar Pradesh” is “completely false,” stating that hospitals from the state capital to remote villages are facing an acute shortage of doctors and essential facilities.
Dubey said the shortage has particularly impacted Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), and district hospitals, where patients are forced to stand in long queues and often return without treatment due to the absence of doctors.
According to figures cited by the party, the crisis is especially severe in the Level-2 and Level-3 medical cadres. Out of 7,240 sanctioned Level-2 posts, 5,497 are vacant, while in Level-3, only 2,007 doctors are working out of 5,199 sanctioned posts. He also highlighted shortages in senior administrative positions, claiming that 1,330 of 2,555 Joint Director posts are vacant, 58 of 70 Additional Director posts are unfilled, and 157 out of 970 Deputy Director (Surgeon) positions remain vacant.
Dubey further alleged that the shortage of doctors is forcing poor patients to seek treatment in private hospitals, where they often have to pay high fees. “The government claims to be building an ‘excellent state’, but the reality is that even basic healthcare facilities are missing in government hospitals,” he said.
He also questioned delays in the recruitment process for doctors. The government had initiated recruitment for 2,391 doctors, including 601 specialist doctors and 1,790 MBBS doctors, and interviews were reportedly conducted in January. However, Dubey said the results have not yet been declared and the process has become entangled in disputes over merit and transparency.
The AAP spokesperson claimed that the shortage of Level-2 and Level-3 doctors has had the most serious impact on rural healthcare services, where CHCs and PHCs often operate without adequate medical staff. As a result, rural patients are either forced to travel to cities or pay for costly private treatment.
He also alleged irregularities in the supply of medicines in government hospitals, claiming that patients are frequently asked to purchase medicines from private medical stores instead of receiving them free of cost at the hospital.
Criticizing the state government’s claims of modern healthcare infrastructure, Dubey said that even basic X-ray film is unavailable in many hospitals in 2026, forcing hospitals to provide reports on photocopied paper. He added that diagnostic machines in several hospitals are either unavailable or lying unused due to lack of maintenance and budget.
The Aam Aadmi Party demanded that the government immediately fill all vacant posts of doctors and healthcare workers through a transparent recruitment process, ensure the availability of medicines and diagnostic facilities in government hospitals, and implement a concrete plan to strengthen healthcare services in rural areas.
The party warned that if the government fails to take prompt action, it may launch a statewide agitation over the issue of public healthcare.
