A recent report by CAG on healthcare facilities during the former AAP government, tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Friday, has shed light on serious shortcomings in the roll-out of the Mohalla Clinics scheme.
The report indicated several deficiencies like absence of ICU facilities, shortage of doctors, and lack of adequate supply of medicines and equipment in government hospitals.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the report on Performance Audit of Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services in Delhi, 2016-17 to 2021-22. She called it an expose of the former government's health model, terming it as a stark expose of inefficiencies.
BJP lawmakers severely criticized the AAP government over financial mismanagement, incompetence in healthcare schemes, and failure to utilize infrastructure and medical materials properly during the Assembly session. CM Gupta promised that funds belonging to the public would be protected and corrupt officials would be brought to book. She further assured that her government would work day and night to keep its electoral promises, including the revival of the Yamuna River and the restoration of deteriorated systems.
The CAG audit raised serious questions over the Mohalla Clinics, a pet project of the Arvind Kejriwal government. The report indicated irregularities in the form of cost overruns, inefficiency in projects, and unutilized funds. It came to light that merely 53% of the proposed Mohalla Clinics were built and that the administration did not provide the expected 32,000 additional hospital beds between 2016-17 and 2020-21. Furthermore, it highlighted that half of Delhi’s 27 government hospitals lacked ICU facilities, while 60% did not have a blood bank.
Some of the major findings of the audit were also staff deficiencies in healthcare institutions, substandard patient care due to delays in medicine delivery, shortage of key drugs and medical supplies, and long waiting periods for diagnostic tests and operations. The report also condemned the sluggish progress in the development of health infrastructure projects and slippages in the implementation of central and state-funded health schemes.
One of the biggest issues highlighted by the CAG report was the lack of required medical appliances in CATS ambulances. The Mohalla Clinics were also found to lack essential instruments like thermometers, blood pressure machines, and oximeters. In South, Northeast, Southwest, and West districts, 41 out of 281 Mohalla Clinics were still closed, and 74 others had critical shortfalls of 165 important medicines. Also, most of these clinics lacked facilities like wheelchair ramps, toilets, or drinking water.
One of the most shocking discoveries was that almost 70% of Mohalla Clinic patients received less than a minute of consultation time on visits between October 2022 and March 2023.
The report further added: "While on one side a significant amount of money released by the Central Government went unused, on the other side 40% of pregnant women registered under the scheme were denied basic medicines like iron and folic acid." Between 2016 and 2022, 48.97 lakh women had enrolled for prenatal care, but just 29.25 lakh—about 59.74%—had taken the prescribed 100 iron and folic acid tablets. In the same vein, only 34.89% of pregnant women took the first dose of the tetanus vaccine, and only 28.10% took the second dose.
While discussing the report, BJP MLA Harish Khurana criticized the AAP government for its mismanagement of funds, resulting in excess expenditure on delayed health projects. He said that the report has clearly brought out the different irregularities during the tenure of AAP.
"In the 11 years of their rule, just three hospitals were built or upgraded despite huge financial investments. The project of Indira Gandhi Hospital got delayed by five years, leading to a cost overrun of ₹314 crore, and that of Burari Hospital went up by ₹41 crore," Khurana disclosed.
The report also highlighted the abysmal condition of Mohalla Clinics, which had been highly touted as a game-changing healthcare model under the regime of former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Adarsh Nagar MLA Raj Kumar Bhatia demanded the harshest punishment possible for the officials who put public health at risk. Ghonda MLA Ajay Mahawar faulted the previous government for not using central funds allocated to health programs. Vishwas Nagar MLA O.P. Sharma meanwhile blamed the AAP government for corruption in the name of delivering a world-class health system.
They did not establish health centers even though they were given land by the DDA, and when they went to buy medicines, they bought low-quality drugs," Sharma charged.
While AAP leaders were holding protests outside the Assembly, against the recent suspension of 21 of their MLAs, Ex-Chief Minister Atishi, now the Leader of Opposition, wrote to Speaker Vijender Gupta, asserting that the suspensions were anti-democratic. In reply, Speaker Gupta stood by his move and asked Atishi to avoid creating "misinformation and falsehoods.
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