Delhi HC ‘concerned’ about health dept affairs

The court directed the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to take over the implementation of the recommendations

New Delhi

The HC was hearing a suo motu case on health services in the Capital. (Representative photo/HT Archive)

The Delhi high court on Monday expressed concern over the state of affairs in the Delhi government’s health department, after the committee constituted by it to assess medical services in the Capital urged the court to absolve it from the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of recommendations by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government-run hospitals.

The court directed the director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to take over the implementation of the recommendations, opining that the quality of health in the hospitals continued to be dismal. The court said that extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures.

“It’s a serious issue. The environment is rather toxic. Four of the senior-most doctors are threatened. The environment is rather toxic. Four of my doctors are scared. These doctors have performed such a great duty. Instead of appreciating them, we are hounding them? Extraordinary situations call for extraordinary measures... The letter (dated August 26) speaks volume,” the bench said to senior advocate Rahul Mehra, who appeared for the Delhi government.

On August 26, the committee wrote to acting chief justice Manmohan to appoint another committee to monitor and verify the implementation of the recommendations, saying that it was facing challenges in implementing the court’s July 31 order as four out of six members of the committee were working for hospitals run by the Delhi government.

On July 31, the high court directed the committee to examine the status report filed by the Delhi government’s health department on May 23 and July 26, and conduct a factual verification on the implementation by the Delhi government.

The bench said, “If four of the senior GNCTD doctors, after preparing an exhaustive pro bono report, is recusing from the responsibility of implementation, monitoring and verification, it shows that all is not well in the health department of GNCTD. The quality of health continues to be dismal and the common man continues to be in apathy. This court appoints director of AIIMS to ensure that the report of Dr Sarin committee is implemented in right earnest and for the purpose of implementation, director AIIMS shall take all necessary steps.”

The court issued the directions while considering a suo motu petition on the availability of intensive care unit (ICU) beds with ventilators in hospitals run by the Delhi government and the functioning of health emergency numbers.

During the hearing on Monday, the court also slammed the Delhi government for a lack of consensus among bureaucrats for improving conditions of hospitals in the Capital and filing of vacant posts. The court thus directed a committee headed by LG VK Saxena, comprising health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, chief secretary, secretary of services and health department, to convene a meeting and go ahead with the creation of 38,000 posts of doctors and paramedics.

HT on August 23 reported that LG VK Saxena targeted the Delhi government over an alleged lack of oversight in the execution of 24 hospital projects that were conceptualised, without planning for equipment, machinery or manpower.