Congress shared videos showing stray dogs resting on a patient’s bed in wards at Gonda Medical College, sparking concerns over hygiene
The incidents revived political criticism of Uttar Pradesh’s healthcare infrastructure, with the Opposition alleging lack of accountability
Authorities have not issued a formal response, while the videos have triggered public debate on conditions in government hospitals.
On Sunday, January 18, 2026, the Congress shared a video on X showing stray dogs resting on a patient’s bed inside the emergency ward of Gonda Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. The incident triggered fresh concerns over hygiene and patient safety at the government-run hospital. The video surfaced days after another incident at the same hospital, where rats were seen roaming inside wards, raising questions about the condition of healthcare infrastructure in the state.
“This is the medical college of Gonda, UP. A few days ago, rats were roaming the patients' ward here. Now, dogs are lounging in the patients' ward,” the party wrote on X while sharing the video. “Will BJP leaders and ministers get themselves or their families treated in this hospital?”
The footage shows three dogs lying comfortably on a bed beside a patient, while another dog roams below a bed. Authorities have not responded to the footage so far or outlined any measures to address hygiene and pest control at the medical college.
The Congress had shared another clip on January 14, 2026 from the same hospital, in which rats were seen roaming around the medical college. Posting the video on X, the party said: “Just look at the scene at Gonda Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. Here, rats are having a field day in the human ward. Fat, thin, plump... rats of all kinds are hopping around. It's as if this medical college ward belongs not to humans, but to rats.”
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The issue has revived broader political criticism of hospital hygiene. In September 2025, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had criticised the ruling BJP after two infants died following rat bites in the neonatal ICU of the government-run Maharaj Yashwantrao Hospital in Indore. In a post on X, he described the incident as “horrific, inhuman and insensitive.”
With the video going viral, the Opposition alleged that health infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh is in shambles due to a lack of checks and balances and accountability mechanisms. One person commented on the video, saying, “Government hospitals are not luxury facilities — they are the only lifeline for the poor, workers, Dalits, minorities and marginalized families.” A doctor commented, “OMG! To bring this state up to a reasonable living standard, I believe it might take the next 50 years.”
[VP]
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