Delhi: Ceiling fan collapse exposes GTB hospital’s maintenance crisis

Peeling plaster, ageing lifts and inadequate cooling facilities at Guru Tegh Bahadur (GTB) Hospital Delhi have raised concerns over the maintenance of the hospital complex. Patients and attendants say they fear that ceiling fans or sections of the ceiling could collapse.

These concerns intensified after a 42-year-old patient died on July 18, hours after a ceiling fan reportedly fell on him while he was undergoing treatment in the emergency ward.

The patient, identified as Md Akbar, had been brought to the hospital by his brother and admitted earlier that day. According to hospital staff familiar with the case, Akbar was being treated for hypertension, meningoencephalitis and aspiration pneumonia.

Hospital denies link to death

Initial reports indicated that the ceiling fan became detached and fell on Akbar while he was lying in the emergency department. Eyewitnesses and attendants of other patients alleged that the fan fell on his bed and caused injuries that led to his death.

Several attendants said many air conditioners at the hospital were either not functioning or had missing parts, leaving ceiling fans as the primary source of ventilation in the humid weather.

The hospital said the Public Works Department (PWD) maintenance team reached the site immediately after being informed, secured the area, removed the damaged fan and installed a new one.

According to the hospital, an inspection found that the fan’s shaft had fractured, causing it to fall. Officials said such a failure was highly unusual and unlikely under normal operating conditions. They added that the authorities would investigate the incident thoroughly.

The hospital said Akbar was immediately assessed following the incident and examined for injuries caused by the impact of the fan. It maintained that no external injuries were found.

It further said that no patient, attendant or healthcare worker had sustained a major injury in the incident.

The hospital confirmed that Akbar’s body had been handed over to his relatives. It maintained that his death was caused by his pre-existing medical condition and was unrelated to the falling fan.

Fire safety clearance pending

The incident has renewed attention on the condition of the hospital’s infrastructure. Its 500-bed New Ward Block does not have fire safety clearance.

The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) refused to issue the clearance on September 15, 2025. The ward block has remained without fire safety clearance since then.

“Hose reel hose nozzles were found to have been removed in several locations, while the provided Manual Operated Electric Fire Alarms (MOEFA) and the internal hydrant system were both found to be non-functional,” the DFS letter stated.

It added that the fire pump had not been set to automatic mode and that waste material had encroached upon the basement. The material needed to be removed to allow free movement, it said.

Multiple tenders have also been floated over the past few years for the maintenance of air-conditioning systems across the hospital complex. However, the maintenance work has reportedly remained pending for three years.

The lack of effective cooling has made ceiling fans essential in the wards. According to hospital sources and details contained in the tenders, many of these fans have been in use for the better part of a decade. According to hospital sources, no comprehensive overhaul is currently planned.

“Our planned works are themselves on hold owing to the tenders being stuck at the financial evaluation stage. Only tenders concerning the management of medical inventory and supplies are being fulfilled,” a hospital official said on condition of anonymity.

Projects stalled since 2023

The Economic Survey of Delhi 2025–26 also lists several pending projects at the hospital.

“Structural work is currently 50% complete, with the structure nearly finished in certain parts, bringing overall physical progress to 52%,” the survey stated.

It added that work had been at a standstill since July 2023. According to the survey, the completion date now depends on approval of a revised estimate, following which the remaining work is expected to take six months.

Most structural work remains stalled, while work on some components is progressing slowly.

Tenders were floated several times in 2024 and 2025 for work that included plastering and the overhaul of lifts in the hospital’s ward block. These projects also remain pending.

Attendants have complained that the lifts are cramped and poorly maintained.

“The elevators are dirty and look like they have not been sterilised or cleaned ever since the hospital was erected. Moreover, the lifts themselves are fairly old,” said Raquib Alam, who was attending to his father at the hospital.

Structural columns in the outpatient department and ward blocks are also reportedly in poor condition. Repair work on them has remained pending since 2024.

“All of these works are stuck in the financial evaluation stage. We are still clearing out the dues,” a PWD official said.

Previous ceiling collapses

In June, a portion of the ceiling at the emergency operation theatre complex at GTB Hospital collapsed, causing considerable anxiety among healthcare workers and resident doctors. Doctors said a section of the false ceiling had collapsed in another incident a few months earlier.

“We are scared of even entering the emergency block ourselves since there is no telling when another tragedy may occur, especially if it occurs during the course of an operation,” a resident doctor said.