By Somya Panwar
The CAG report on the management of health services and public hospitals during the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government highlighted a number of flaws in the Capital’s system. Government hospitals are facing a shortage of medicine scarcity, and there are vacant posts for medical officers and specialists. Delhi Arogya Kosh has not been maintaining track of the beneficiaries’ scheme-specific information or implementing the rules.
The report said that the hospital projects of constructing eight new hospitals were delayed for six years for the completion and during the audit period, it was found out that only three were completed.
Rekha Gupta, the current chief minister is all set to table the CAG report on health services on Friday, the fourth day of Delhi Assembly session, in the House at 2 pm.
The report also mentioned that the funds released under the National Health Mission as Rs 510.71 crore was unspent by Delhi State Health Mission (DSHM), lying in the bank accounts of Delhi State Health Society and its 11 Integrated District Health Societies till March, 2022.
There was shortage of vaccines for rare and fatal diseases like rabies and haemophilia, the hospitals failed to evaluate the requisite need for repairing, maintaining, replacing and condemnation of the equipment.
The audit noted that out of 86 tenders floated by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) for procurement of equipment, only 24 (28%) were awarded. The hospitals were supposed to procure 33 to 47 percent of drugs contained in Essential Drug List (EDL) but CPA, which is the nodal agency from where the hospitals, mohalla clinics and dispensaries procure drugs, failed to deliver them.
The Delhi Government did not undertake any assessment based on needs to identify district-wise areas that were deficient in healthcare facilities, added the report.