Bharadwaj highlights shortage of doctors, criticises L-G for ‘inaction’

New Delhi, August 27

Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Tuesday accused Lieutenant-Governor (L-G) VK Saxena’s office of spreading falsehoods and failing to address critical issues concerning the health sector in the Capital.

He highlighted the severe shortage of doctors and paramedical staff in government hospitals, alleging that the L-G’s office was using the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) as an excuse to avoid resolving these critical issues.

Bharadwaj said, “Whenever a major crisis occurs in Delhi, we claim, based on evidence, that the culprit behind this crisis is the L-G’s office. When we seek a response from the L-G’s office, we receive absurd replies.”

He cited the incident at Asha Kiran Home Shelter, where 14 deaths occurred, attributing the tragedy to the shortage of doctors and paramedical staff. He said, “Since the L-G and Central Government have authority over transfers and postings, these deaths have occurred due to their mistakes.”

He further criticised the L-G office’s response, stating, “The L-G office immediately replied, ‘Since the meeting of NCCSA didn’t convene, we could not carry out the transfers.’ However, there was no such proposal on the NCCSA’s agenda, but the L-G office is habitually dishonest.”

The minister also pointed out the staffing issues at major hospitals, noting that some doctors were responsible for multiple hospitals due to a lack of adequate staff.

He shared that he had repeatedly written to the L-G about the vacant positions for doctors, specialists, nurses and OT technicians in hospitals.

“Approximately 30 per cent of the positions for doctors and specialists are vacant...The L-G absurdly reasoned that he has received a list of 25-26 specialists but is unable to process their posting because the CM is not here,” he said.

Bharadwaj accused the L-G office of selectively conducting transfers and postings. He pointed to a PWD order from August 16 that posted seven Group ‘A’ officers. “Transfer postings and appointments are being done, but only where the L-G feels like. However, where the elected Delhi Government needs it, the excuse of the NCCSA meeting and the absence of the Chief Minister is used,” he added.

Bharadwaj posed three direct questions to the L-G: If transfers and postings could be done without the NCCSA, why did the L-G office mislead the people of Delhi? Will the L-G apologise to the people of Delhi for misleading them? If the L-G was correctly citing the NCCSA meeting, will he suspend his favoured officer, PWD Principal Secretary Anbarasu, for the illegal transfers and postings in the PWD?

Hitting back, the L-G’s office said, “The press conference minister, having failed miserably in looking after the departments that he is incharge of, now seems to have got a fresh brief of retaining his ministerial position by pointlessly abusing the L-G without any basis daily.”

“Delhi has become a hell for its residents over the last decade. Drains are choked, flooding areas like never before; sewers are overflowing; people are receiving contaminated drinking water; and malaria and dengue are on the rise. Yet, instead of addressing these problems, the minister is busy with diversionary mudslinging in the media on an hourly basis. It is due to his and his predecessor’s ineptitude that the process of creating 38,000 posts for ‘ghost hospitals’ has not even begun, let alone filling them,” it said.

“The Urban Development (UD) Department under his leadership is in shambles. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Jal Board (DJB), which are under the administrative control of the UD Department, have collapsed,” the office alleged.