Appalled at state of affairs in Delhi Govt hospitals: L-G VK Saxena

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 5

Lieutenant-Governor VK Saxena on Friday slammed Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj over the “shortage” of consumables in government hospitals.

In a letter, Saxena lambasted the minister for “solely blaming” senior officers and seeking disciplinary action against them. He said these communications were to shirk the minister’s responsibility for lapses in administration and to create a false narrative.

Health delivery services in shambles

It is indeed shocking that the much-touted ‘Delhi Model’ of health service delivery lies in a shambles. Indeed, it appears to be on a life support ventilator. — VK Saxena, Lieutenant-Governor

The L-G said he was appalled at the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Delhi Government hospitals. “It is indeed shocking that the much-touted ‘Delhi Model’ of health service delivery lies in a shambles. Indeed, it appears to be on the life-support ventilator,” he remarked.

He talked about a recent instance where the Delhi High Court had asked Bhardwaj to appear personally on the condition of health infrastructure in the Capital. “The division Bench threatened you in open court with imprisonment. This itself should have been a reason enough for you to take coercive measures for smooth functioning in your department,” his letter read.

Saxena wrote that he was surprised that the hospitals under the Delhi Government were not even equipped with basic consumables like cotton. He specifically referred to two hospitals under the AAP-led Delhi Government – Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan in Shahdara and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya in Geeta Colony.

In his letter, the L-G referred to his interactions with public representatives, doctors and “real aam aadmi” of Delhi. He said, “They have highlighted the collapse of government health infrastructure.” Referring to a letter written in June last year to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, he said apart from construction of only one new hospital at Siraspur, which saw a cost overrun, no new hospitals have been established during the past nine years.

The L-G further stated that inadequacy of health infrastructure was exposed most starkly during the Covid pandemic. “The augmentation of 17 hospitals and construction of a new hospital as planned would have resulted in 12,500 additional beds… Sadly, announcements made with much fanfare were not followed up with the zeal and urgency that was warranted,” the L-G wrote.

“So bad is the situation that the High Court had to step in recently and constitute a committee of doctors to get proper assessment of health facilities and a roadmap for invoking correctives,” he added.

Saxena also said he would have addressed these issues with the Chief Minister, but in his absence, he addressed it directly to the Health Minister.

Asking the minister not to shy away from responsibilities, the L-G urged him to “demonstrate leadership” and prepare a roadmap for serious action. “A white paper on this subject could be a useful starting point,” he added.

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