AAP vs Lt Governor Over Shortage Of Doctors In Delhi Government Hospitals

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Sunday accused Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena's office of "spreading falsehood" and ignoring the acute shortage of medical personnel in the government hospitals of the capital.

In a strongly-worded response to the allegation, Raj Niwas officials said 10 years of misgovernance, masqueraded by advertisements and propaganda, has begun to implode.

"Now that the system is crumbling, Press Conference Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj is frantically searching for alibis. The AAP's health model is there for all to see," an official said.

Addressing a press conference, Mr Bharadwaj accused the LG of hiding behind his office and "indirectly spreading lies to the public and the media".

"I request the LG not to hide behind his office and indirectly present lies to the public, but rather hold a press conference and instead of officials, write these lies with his own pen and present them to the media and the people of the country so that action can be taken against him for his lies," he said.

He mentioned that the poorest of the poor people of the capital and the surrounding states come to Delhi hospitals with the hope that they will get adequate treatment. But due to the huge shortage of doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, lab technicians, OT technicians etc. in Delhi's hospitals, these poor people are not able to get adequate treatment and this is being done deliberately under a conspiracy, Bharadwaj alleged.

Mr Bharadwaj, while presenting the letters written by him earlier to Mr Saxena about these vacancies, said he took over as the health minister of Delhi in March 2023 and on April 19, 2023, wrote the first letter to the LG, informing him that there is a shortage of 292 general medical duty officers (GDMOs) and 234 specialists in Delhi government hospitals.

"No action was taken to fill these vacancies, rather the doctors who were holding high positions in Delhi government hospitals through the Central Health Services (CHS) were also called back by the Centre by removing them from Delhi government hospitals," he claimed.

He said he wrote another letter to the LG on June 6 and told him that it will take a very long time to recruit doctors through the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

"There are many hospitals, there are big machines in the hospitals, but due to the shortage of doctors, people are not able to get surgeries, treatment is not being done, so for the time being, doctors should be appointed on a contractual basis.

"But despite that, no order was issued by the LG for the recruitment of doctors on contract," he claimed.

The minister said he had again sent a letter to the LG through Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for the recruitment of doctors and other paramedical staff in the vacant posts in the Delhi government hospitals.

Through the letter, Mr Bharadwaj said he told the LG that the posts of 30 per cent doctors, 20 per cent nurses, 30 per cent pharmacists and about 1,658 posts of OT technicians, lab technicians, post-mortem technicians etc. are vacant.

On June 25, Mr Bharadwaj said he wrote to the health secretary.

"I told him that many new hospitals of the Delhi government are being built and new blocks are being constructed in some old hospitals, about 12,000-14,000 new beds are going to be added in the hospitals, but the number of staff and doctors required for the existing hospitals is not complete, at least the number of staff and doctors required in the existing hospitals should be recruited and I should be provided information on what action is being taken on that," he added.

He said did not receive any reply from the health secretary.

Mr Bharadwaj pointed out that the committee of Dr Sarin constituted by the high court has also accepted that there is a huge shortage of doctors and other paramedical staff in the Delhi government hospitals, due to which people are not getting adequate treatment and that recruitment should be done on a contractual basis immediately.

Mr Bharadwaj said on July 26, he again wrote a letter to Mr Saxena and requested him that since the services department comes directly under him and the appointment of a doctor through the UPSC can take a lot of time, keeping this in mind, doctors should be hired for Delhi government hospitals on a contractual basis as soon as possible, so that the poor people coming for treatment in these hospitals can get complete and adequate treatment.

Later, addressing a press conference, AAP's chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said the health model of the Delhi government is being discussed even in foreign countries and they will not let it become like Uttar Pradesh.

Hitting back, Raj Niwas officials said the high court took suo-motu cognisance of the pathetic state of affairs in the Delhi government hospitals and summoned Bharadwaj.

"It appointed a committee under Dr SK Sarin to improve things, but its comprehensive report was neither deliberated upon by the PC minister, who also happens to be the health minister. Fraud in mohalla clinics, no new hospital in 10 years, tenders increasing from Rs 400 crore to Rs 1,100 crore for the construction of hospitals, medicine purchase scam etc. lie totally exposed," an official said.

Besides, any service matter, including appointments, postings, transfers and disciplinary actions, are decided by the NCCSA headed by the Chief Minister and put up to the LG, he added.

"Kejriwal has not convened a single meeting of the NCCSA since ages. Even when he was out on bail and authorised by the Supreme Court to do so," the official said.

Referring to Mr Bharadwaj, he said he would have done well to bring these matters to Mr Kejriwal when he was out on bail and asked him to act, rather than writing fig-leaf alibis to the LG.

"It will be in the interest of the public health system in Delhi if he indulges in governance rather than doing three to four press conferences a day," he added. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)