New Delhi [India], February 28 (ANI): Delhi government minister Parvesh Verma on Friday said that all scams committed during the previous AAP government’s tenure will be investigated.
Speaking to mediapersons, Verma said, “First, the CAG report came on the liquor scam, and today, the CAG report on the health department came out. Earlier, we used to see their scams while in the opposition. Now, being in the government, many more shortcomings are visible. All the scams will be investigated.”
He further stated that the Yamuna riverfront will be developed.
“…We can say that in 3-3.5 years, we will start boating, and jogging there (on the banks of the Yamuna River),” he said.
The remarks came after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on Delhi’s health infrastructure was tabled in the Assembly. The report highlighted significant shortcomings in Delhi’s healthcare system, including staff shortages, inadequate facilities, and poor management of healthcare services.
The CAG Report on Performance Audit on ‘Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services’ was placed in the Legislative Assembly of Delhi.
The audit aimed to assess the availability of health infrastructure, manpower, machinery, and equipment in health institutions, the adequacy of financial resources allocated, and the efficiency in managing health services in the NCT of Delhi. The report contains audit findings related to secondary and tertiary hospitals only.
Covering the period from 2016-17 to 2021-22, the report found a 21 per cent staff shortage in the Health and Family Welfare Department of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD).
It also highlighted a 30 per cent shortage of specialists, including super-specialist doctors, and a lack of essential medicines, equipment, and consumables in hospitals.
Many hospitals lacked basic facilities, including dietary and radiological diagnostic services, while waiting times for major surgeries ranged from 2-3 months to 6-8 months.
The report also identified issues in healthcare management, such as delays in the empanelment of drug testing laboratories, staff shortages in the Drugs Control Department, and a lack of accreditation for hospitals and laboratories.
Waiting times for major surgeries in the Surgery and Burn & Plastic Surgery Departments of LNH were recorded at 2-3 months and 6-8 months, respectively. Meanwhile, six out of 12 modular OTs in RGSSH and all seven modular OTs in JSSH were lying idle due to manpower shortages.
Many ambulances under the Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) were found to be operating without essential equipment and devices.
While LNH experienced long waiting times for radiological diagnostic services, radiological equipment in other hospitals (JSSH, RGSSH, and CNBC) was underutilized due to manpower shortages. The report also noted that Atomic Energy Regulatory Board guidelines were not fully adhered to, posing safety concerns for staff and patients.
The Central Procurement Agency (CPA), responsible for procuring drugs and equipment for GNCTD hospitals, was not functioning optimally. Hospitals had to procure 33-47 per cent of essential drugs from local chemists to meet daily requirements from 2016-17 to 2021-22.
Out of 86 tenders floated by CPA for equipment procurement, only 24 (28 per cent) were successfully awarded. The audit also found instances of medicines being procured from blacklisted and debarred firms. There was also a shortage of injections for rare and fatal diseases like Haemophilia and Rabies.
The CAG report has raised concerns about Delhi’s healthcare infrastructure’s ability to meet the needs of its growing population, underscoring the urgent need for reforms to address these deficiencies. (ANI)
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