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Former CJI DY Chandrachud calls for stronger public hospitals and compassionate, patient-centred healthcare at a UCMS event in Delhi. (Img: X)
New Delhi: Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has called for stronger public hospitals and healthcare infrastructure, emphasising the need to make medical treatment more accessible to economically disadvantaged patients. Speaking at the 55th anniversary celebrations of Delhi’s University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS) on Sunday, he also highlighted compassion, medical ethics and doctors’ mental health, drawing on historical examples and personal experiences to underline the human dimension of healthcare.
He said the country's public healthcare system needs stronger institutions, improved infrastructure and a renewed focus on patient welfare. Stressing the importance of accessible and affordable treatment, he highlighted the role of government hospitals in supporting patients from marginalised communities, many of whom travel considerable distances to receive medical care.
Chandrachud’s remarks placed institutional development and compassionate treatment at the centre of the healthcare debate. He emphasised that strong public institutions are essential to national progress and that hospitals must remain responsive to the needs of vulnerable patients.
Speaking to reporters here, he underlined the need to reinforce existing institutions, improve healthcare delivery and strengthen patient-focused services. Public hospitals, he noted, serve people who may have limited financial resources and depend on government facilities for essential and specialised treatment.
Chandrachud stressed that both public and private institutions contribute to a country’s development, but highlighted the particular importance of public hospitals because of their responsibility towards economically weaker sections of society.
Government healthcare facilities often serve patients who cannot afford expensive private treatment or must travel from remote locations to access specialised medical services. Strengthening their infrastructure and institutional capacity is therefore crucial to improving access, continuity of care and patient welfare.
His remarks brought attention to broader healthcare priorities, including adequate medical facilities, quality treatment, responsive hospital administration and the need to reduce financial and geographical barriers to healthcare. A robust public health system, he indicated, must do more than provide medical services; it must ensure that patients are treated with dignity and receive appropriate care regardless of their financial circumstances.
The former CJI’s appeal also highlighted the wider relationship between public institutions and social welfare, with healthcare accessibility remaining a significant component of inclusive development.
Earlier on Sunday, Chandrachud addressed doctors and medical students at UCMS during the institution’s 55th anniversary celebrations. He encouraged medical professionals to recognise the long-term value of their work, including acts of service that may never attract public attention or professional recognition.
He emphasised that the contribution of a doctor cannot be measured solely through visible achievements. Everyday acts of care, clinical dedication and the ability to support patients through difficult moments can leave a lasting impact on individuals and families.
Chandrachud also stressed that medical treatment must remain free from prejudice based on a patient’s social position, beliefs, background or circumstances. The relationship between a doctor and a patient, he suggested, should be governed by medical need, professional responsibility and respect for human dignity.
His message placed compassion alongside clinical competence as a defining element of ethical medical practice. Patients may arrive at hospitals frightened, distressed, impatient or unable to communicate their concerns clearly. Medical professionals must nevertheless ensure that their response is guided by the patient’s needs rather than personal judgments.
To illustrate how medicine can transcend political, social and national divisions, Chandrachud recalled Mahatma Gandhi’s surgery for acute appendicitis in January 1924. Gandhi underwent the procedure while imprisoned at Yerwada Jail in Pune, and the surgeon treating him was a British officer.
The incident occurred during India’s struggle against British colonial rule. Yet the circumstances of the operation demonstrated how the immediate responsibilities of medical treatment could take precedence over the wider political conflict.
Gandhi consented to the procedure, recovered and subsequently expressed appreciation for the doctor who had treated him. Chandrachud drew attention to the encounter as an example of the principles that should guide medical professionals: a patient’s need for treatment must remain paramount, irrespective of nationality, political affiliation or personal circumstances.
The former CJI used the historical episode to reinforce the importance of impartiality in healthcare. Whether a patient is influential or disadvantaged, incarcerated or free, doctors have a professional and ethical responsibility to provide appropriate treatment.
Chandrachud also recalled the contribution of Dr M. S. Rawal, who treated Mukti Vahini fighters during the Bangladesh Liberation War while serving in Tripura. Rawal later became the dean of RML Hospital.
According to Chandrachud’s account, Rawal worked in field hospitals where medical teams faced severe constraints, including limited anaesthesia and inadequate medical equipment. Despite these difficult conditions, he helped treat injured fighters and save lives.
Rawal’s service was subsequently recognised for his contribution to the treatment of Mukti Vahini personnel following Bangladesh’s independence. The example illustrated the demanding circumstances in which medical professionals may have to work, particularly during conflict, when access to equipment, medicines and advanced treatment facilities can be severely restricted.
By recalling Rawal’s experience, Chandrachud highlighted the role of medical professionals in humanitarian service. Doctors often operate in environments where resources are scarce and decisions must be made under immense pressure, making clinical skill, commitment and compassion especially important.
In a more personal part of his address, Chandrachud spoke about the medical challenges faced by his elder daughter, who has Nemaline myopathy, a rare muscle disorder that can affect muscle strength and, in some cases, respiratory function.
He recalled an emergency in Shimla when his daughter developed serious breathing difficulties and required ventilator support. The family was reportedly informed that moving her from Shimla could carry an extreme risk, with concerns that she might not survive the transfer.
Despite the warning, the family decided to take her to the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh for further treatment. Chandrachud recounted that the doctors there helped save her life.
The experience offered a personal illustration of the importance of access to specialised medical care, timely clinical intervention and the role of experienced healthcare teams in critical situations.
His account also underscored the uncertainty families face when a loved one develops a life-threatening condition. In such moments, medical expertise, communication between healthcare professionals and families, and access to appropriate treatment facilities can have profound consequences.
The experience reinforced the importance of a healthcare system capable of responding to complex medical needs, including those involving rare diseases and respiratory emergencies.
Chandrachud also drew attention to the need for doctors to take care of their own health while caring for patients. Recalling another experience during his daughter’s treatment in Delhi, he spoke about a doctor from Noida who had been visiting the family to provide medical care but later died following a drug overdose.
Chandrachud said the incident made the family reflect on whether the young doctor had neglected his own well-being while devoting himself to treating others. The account highlighted the pressures that can accompany a profession in which practitioners are expected to remain available and responsive even during demanding periods.
His remarks did not diminish the importance of medical responsibility. Instead, they underscored that healthcare professionals also need support, adequate rest and attention to their physical and psychological health.
The issue is particularly relevant in a profession where long shifts, emergency duties, emotionally difficult cases and sustained workloads can place considerable demands on doctors. Maintaining the well-being of medical staff is also important for patient safety, sound clinical judgment and the long-term sustainability of healthcare services.
Chandrachud urged medical professionals to take their mental and emotional health seriously, particularly those working extended shifts without sufficient opportunities to rest or return home.
He encouraged senior doctors and colleagues to check in on younger medical professionals, ask whether they were coping with their responsibilities and create opportunities for open conversations about stress and emotional difficulties.
The message brought attention to a significant concern within healthcare: professionals who are responsible for treating others may find it difficult to acknowledge their own struggles or seek support. A workplace culture that recognises fatigue, psychological distress and the need for timely assistance can help medical staff manage the pressures of their profession.
Mental well-being, Chandrachud’s remarks suggested, should not be treated as separate from professional performance. Doctors need an environment in which seeking help is acceptable and where their health is recognised as an essential part of delivering safe, effective treatment.
Chandrachud’s address at UCMS brought together several interconnected priorities: strengthening public hospitals, improving access to affordable medical treatment, preserving ethical standards and protecting the well-being of healthcare professionals.
His examples, ranging from Gandhi’s surgery during colonial rule and Rawal’s service during the Bangladesh Liberation War to his daughter’s medical emergency, highlighted how healthcare depends on more than buildings, equipment and clinical procedures. It also requires professional judgment, institutional capacity, empathy and trust.
For India, strengthening public healthcare means ensuring that patients can reach appropriate treatment facilities without being excluded by financial hardship or geographical barriers. Equally, building a resilient healthcare workforce requires attention to doctors’ working conditions, mental health and ability to provide care without compromising their own well-being.
The central message of Chandrachud’s address was that a strong healthcare system must combine institutional capability with humanity. Hospitals must be equipped to treat patients effectively, while medical professionals must remain committed to dignity, impartiality and compassion in every clinical encounter.
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Former CJI DY Chandrachud calls for stronger public hospitals and affordable healthcare, shares his daughter’s medical emergency and urges doctors to prioritise compassion, ethics and mental health.
