People dying without treatment, ramp up health facilities: HC

The High Court expresses concern over the lack of medical infrastructure and staff in Delhi government hospitals.

Stressing the need to ramp up medical infrastructure and fill vacancies in the health sector, the High Court on Monday expressed anguish that there are only six CT scan machines in all Delhi government hospitals for three crore residents.

It also pointed out that people are losing lives as they are not being attended to at government hospitals due to a shortage of facilities and staff.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet P.S. Arora noted that Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, in a status report, has admitted that there are a lot of shortcomings and also given his suggestions.

Mr. Bharadwaj, who inspected many of the Delhi government’s 39 hospitals, claimed that Delhi Health Secretary S.B. Deepak Kumar remained absent whenever he convened meetings with hospital staff.

However, Mr. Kumar, who was present in the court, denied the allegations.

“I have accompanied the Minister in various hospitals, and wherever I have not been able to go, I informed him and sent some other official. I have always been there in the meetings, and the Minister’s minutes of meetings will show my presence,” he submitted.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) plea initiated on its own in 2017 concerning the issue of the unavailability of ICU beds and ventilator facilities in government hospitals.