ACB books ex-Delhi health ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj, Satyendar Jain in ₹1,000 crore hospital scam

In a major blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against former Delhi health ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain, accusing them of large-scale corruption in the capital’s ambitious health infrastructure projects.

The ACB’s investigation, greenlit by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), unveils alarming financial mismanagement and systematic abuse of power in the construction of hospitals, polyclinics, and ICU facilities — projects that were touted as game-changers for Delhi’s healthcare system.

“Deliberate delays, cost inflation, and rule violations have caused massive losses to the public exchequer,” said Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) Madhur Verma, adding that a “comprehensive probe is underway to establish the extent of the conspiracy and identify all individuals involved.”

Ghost hospitals and bloated budgets

The FIR is rooted in a detailed complaint filed by former Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta in August 2024, which flagged “grave irregularities” in health projects totaling ₹5,590 crore. Among the shocking revelations:

• Not a single one of the 24 hospitals (11 new, 13 upgrades) has been completed since their sanctioning in 2018–19.
• An ICU mega-project worth ₹1,125 crore — comprising seven modular hospitals and 6,800 beds — is only 50% complete after ₹800 crore spent and nearly three years of delays.
• In the LNJP Hospital expansion, costs more than doubled from ₹488 crore to ₹1,135 crore, with the project still unfinished past its January 2023 deadline.
• The polyclinic initiative, once envisioned as a low-cost solution to urban healthcare, saw only 52 of 94 clinics built, with many non-operational, despite a budget jump from ₹168 crore to ₹220 crore.

The ACB said contractors such as SAM India Buildwell Pvt Ltd and Swadeshi Civil Infrastructure Pvt Ltd were awarded high-value projects that experienced over 100% cost escalations, with critical infrastructure still incomplete well beyond promised timelines.

Health IT sabotaged?

The investigation also revealed a deliberate rejection of a free, government-backed Health Information Management System (HIMS) from the National Informatics Centre (NIC), which was designed to bring transparency to health finances. Officials allegedly chose to ignore this system in favor of unexplained alternatives, raising further red flags.

Unauthorized construction and abandoned sites

Unauthorized structures were reportedly built at government hospitals in Jwalapuri and Madipur without approval from regulatory authorities. The Madipur hospital, initially slated for completion in November 2022, remains abandoned.

The FIR marks a significant escalation in accountability efforts surrounding Delhi's crumbling healthcare infrastructure and is expected to have political reverberations.

What’s Next:

The ACB has initiated a full-scale probe, including examination of tender processes, approvals, and financial records. Both former ministers and several private contractors are under the scanner. No arrests have been made yet.