Min blames L-G for shortage of medical staff in hospitals

New Delhi: Delhi Health minister Saurabh Bharadwaj has made severe allegations against Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, accusing him of failing to address a critical shortage of medical staff in Delhi government hospitals.

During a press conference, Bharadwaj condemned the L-G’s office for allegedly spreading misinformation about the state of healthcare services in the city. “The L-G continuously hides behind his office and indirectly spreads lies to the public and the media,” Bharadwaj said. He demanded that the L-G directly address these issues, criticising him for not taking responsibility for the staff shortages plaguing Delhi’s hospitals.

Bharadwaj highlighted that despite repeated requests, there has been no substantial action to fill the vacant positions. “There is a huge shortage of doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff in Delhi government hospitals,” Bharadwaj stated, citing a need for immediate recruitment to address these gaps. He noted that vacancies include 292 non-teaching specialists, 234 general medical officers, and numerous other positions such as OT technicians and lab technicians.

The Health minister revealed that the Delhi government has made numerous attempts to address this issue, including letters from Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and detailed requests from Bharadwaj himself. “Despite repeatedly writing letters to the Lieutenant Governor, he did not fill vacant posts even through contractual basis,” he said. He added that the problem is exacerbated by expensive medical equipment lying idle due to a shortage of radiologists and other specialists.

Bharadwaj criticised the L-G’s office for its inaction, alleging that it is part of a larger conspiracy against the people of Delhi. “Whoever is behind this conspiracy will be cursed by these poor people, they are committing sin by doing such things,” Bharadwaj declared, accusing the L-G’s office of neglecting the needs of thousands of patients who rely on Delhi’s public healthcare system.

In response to Bharadwaj’s accusations, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) further criticised the L-G’s handling of the situation. AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar echoed Bharadwaj’s concerns, stating, “The BJP’s L-G is not filling vacant posts of doctors to defame Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.” Kakkar accused the BJP of deliberately failing to address staffing shortages to undermine the Delhi government’s reputation.

Kakkar also criticised the L-G for his perceived incompetence, stating, “L-G is from outside Delhi, he may not even know names of 70 Assembly constituencies of Delhi.” She demanded that the central government return control over hospital staffing to the Delhi government, arguing that the current system under the L-G is failing Delhi’s healthcare needs.

Meanwhile, the Delhi BJP spokesperson, Praveen Shankar Kapoor accused the Health minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Arvind Kejriwal of ‘running an arbitrary anarchy’.

The Delhi BJP spokesperson said that in accordance with constitutional provisions government jobs should be allotted by recruitment through UPSC. He accused Saurabh Bharadwaj of employing contract workers for the same. Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, “Like Kejriwal, Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj does not believe in constitutional systems but in running arbitrary anarchy, and that is why he wants to make contractual recruitment on all departmental positions.”