Delhi High Court appoints panel for measures to raise hospital infra in Capital

New Delhi, February 14

The Delhi High Court has set up an expert committee headed by liver specialist SK Sarin to assess the national capital’s health infrastructure and suggest measures to augment the facilities and infrastructure at hospitals run by the Centre, the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Noting that the infrastructure (be it in form of medicine, machines or manpower) was woefully inadequate at Delhi’s government hospitals, a Division Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, pointed out that only six CT scan machines were available in 19 Delhi government hospitals which catered to a population of more than three crore and the infrastructure needed to be improved significantly.

Asking the committee to file an interim report in four weeks, the Bench will further hear the matter on April 1.

Besides Dr Sarin, chancellor of ILBS, the other members on the panel are: Dr Nikhil Tandon, Professor and Head of Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, AIIMS; Dr DK Sharma, Dr RP Eye Centre, AIIMS; Dr Suresh Kumar, Director, Lok Nayak Hospital; Dr Piyush Gupta, Professor of Paediatrics and Principal, University College of Medical Sciences; and Dr Deepak K Tempe, Vice-Chancellor of ILBS.

Earlier, the court had taken suo motu cognisance on the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds with ventilator facilities in Delhi Government hospitals.

It’s apparent that the authorities in which powers are vested to manage and run the hospital are not doing so properly and huge investment and structural reforms were necessary in the function of the government hospitals, the high court noted.

The panel has been asked to examine the health infrastructure in the Capital in detail and suggest measures for optimisation of the health infrastructure; devise mechanism for establishing a control room to enable for real time information regarding the ICU and other beds in the hospital; and suggest ways and means to ensure uninterrupted supply of medicines, equipment and manpower for managing those equipment in government hospitals.

It has also been asked to suggest measures to reduce stress on referral hospital by strengthening the peripheral hospital; come up with a mechanism to immediately fill the vacant posts of specialists (teaching/non-teaching), medical officers and paramedics on a contract basis, till regular incumbents join; and to make other recommendations as it deemed fit and proper.