Karnataka govt outsourced patient meals at three Bengaluru hospitals to the Akshaya Patra Foundation-which prohibits onion, garlic, and meat.
Published Oct 04, 2025 | 3:09 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 04, 2025 | 3:41 PM
AIKYATA findings reveal systemic failures - inaccessible infrastructure, erratic staffing, digital hurdles, chronic drug shortages, and in some cases, outright corruption.
Synopsis: AIKYATA’s 2025 Health Report exposes Bengaluru’s failing public health system for seniors, highlighting exploitative costs, inaccessible clinics, erratic drug supplies, and digital barriers. Elderly patients face steep charges, inadequate infrastructure, and caste-based dietary restrictions. AIKYATA demands evening OPDs, better drug supply chains, and senior-friendly amenities to address systemic neglect.
When her 80-year-old mother was admitted in a Bengaluru tertiary government hospital, an Akhila Karnataka Vayovruddara Okkuta (AIKYATA) member thought that she could finally rely on the public health system. Instead, she found herself paying at every step.
“In one day, we spent more than Rs 2000. They charged us Rs 400 for one enema box. We spent Rs 800 for Ryle’s tube feeds. Whenever they gave her an enema, they charged us Rs 50. After she passed away, they gave us Rs 1000 from Ayushman Bharat. I gave that money to the person who packed my mother’s body,” said Lakshmamma (name changed).
Her testimony, part of the AIKYATA Health Report 2025, is not an isolated case. Across Bengaluru’s hospitals and clinics, the elderly–most of them retired informal sector workers–are struggling against a health system that is fragmented, inaccessible, and often exploitative.
AIKYATA, a federation of senior citizens, under it’s president Shanta, public health researcher Dr Sylvia Karpagam and Dr Akhila Vasan surveyed 13 government health facilities in the city, including four general hospitals at four Namma Clinics in Bengaluru.
Release of AIKYATA Health Report 2025
Their findings revealed systemic failures – inaccessible infrastructure, erratic staffing, digital hurdles, chronic drug shortages, and in some cases, outright corruption. On Friday, around 80 senior citizens released a report on their access to primary and secondary health care in Bengaluru urban in Karnataka.
For those dependent on meagre state pensions of Rs 1200, even basic medicines are out of reach. At a Namma Clinic in SRS Road, senior citizens narrated how their diabetes and blood pressure tablets ran out halfway through the month.
“When we go to the Namma Clinic, we do get medicines for BP and diabetes, but their supply runs short in 15 days. No amount of requesting the staff helps. We end up taking the medicine erratically – as and when it’s available. Later, the same staff scoffs at us for being careless,” said a patient.
The report notes that while Karnataka claims to supply monthly medicines for chronic disease, the reality is patchy. Patients are often handed prescriptions and told to buy outside–a near impossibility for pensioners already living hand-to-mouth.
Even reaching a doctor is a challenge. For elderly people who cannot travel alone, hospital visits depend on when a working family member can accompany them.
“We cannot go to the big hospitals by ourselves. If our family members come during the day, they lose a day’s salary. But evenings, government hospitals are closed. Evening consultations will be very useful. Otherwise, we have no choice but go to private clinics. Our pensions cannot cover those costs,” said another elderly patient.
Evening OPDs, briefly introduced by the BBMP before Covid-19, were discontinued during the lockdown and never restarted. AIKYATA argues that reinstating them could drastically reduce out-of-pocket expenses.
Accessibility, too, remains a cruel joke, say these elderly people. At one Namma Clinic located in a commercial area, the AIKYATA survey team found a ramp so steep that no elderly person could use it.
“At best it can be used as a slide for children! Let alone a senior citizen or wheelchair-bound person,” said a member in the report.
In another case, a clinic could not be located even half an hour of searching. It didn’t show up accurately on Google Maps. Several wards had multiple clinics clustered together, while others had none.
AIKYATA concluded that the clinics were set up with little planning or community consultation–”a waste of taxpayers resources,” the report bluntly puts it.
At Bengaluru’s CV Raman General Hospital, a QR code based registration system has been rolled out amid much fanfare. It’s being pitched as a step towards digitisation. However, the survey by AIKYATA showed that this has been another roadblock for the elderly.
“Some patients said they had been waiting for 1.5 hours to get their token. Women had to call their husbands to share the OTP, and by the time it came, the session had expired. They had to start it all over again,” the report notes.
While private vendors run kiosks to help patients register, the process remains slow and heavily dependent on smartphones and internet access–luxury many elderly do not have.
In September 2025, the Karnataka government outsourced patient meals at three Bengaluru hospitals to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, which prohibits onion, garlic, eggs, and meat in its kitchens.
AIKYATA has strongly objected. “Every human being requires a balanced and nutritious diet backed by scientific findings, not based on belief systems. For elderly patients, nutrition is critical to recovery. Restricting protein-rich food in government hospitals takes away their right to dignity,” the report states.
To underline their point, AIKYATA orgainsed a chicken pulao meal for senior citizens on International Day for Older persons last year–a symbolic protest against what they call “caste-based restrictions” creeping into hospital kitchens.
Despite some improvements in cleanliness and maintenance, AIKYATA’s report concludes that Bengaluru’s government health facilities remain deeply inadequate for senior citizens.
Among its 13 urgent recommendations, a few are:
1. Evening OPDs from 4 pm to 9 pm
2. Transparent and regular drug supply chains
3. Specialised geriatric care at primary clinics
4. Functional referral systems and reliable emergency transport
5. Senior citizen and disabled-friendly amenities
6. In-house kitchens with scientifically designed, protein-rich meals.
With India’s elderly population projected to reach 17.3 crore by 2026, the findings are a sobering warning, say the members of AIKYATA. One member says, “we cannot afford to fall sick. Illness means debt, humiliation, and sometimes even death.”
Speaking to South First Dr Sylvia Karpagam said “the general hospitals facilities are good but can improve in terms of staff, timing, sign posting, referral services and specialised facilities for senior citizens. Namma clinics need to be planned better. The health officials should consult such groups if they really have the political will to make healthcare universal and accessible to all. Else, it is nothing but promises on paper.”
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
