Delhi Healthcare- Here are 7 shortcomings listed by CAG report
CAG Report on Delhi Health Infrastructure
New Delhi: The audit report on the Delhi Government's "Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services", prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, revealed shocking gaps in Delhi's healthcare facilities.
This being the second CAG report, has reviewed the status of government hospitals, mohalla clinics, and other health facilities of the Delhi Government. The availability of machines in government hospitals, supply of medicines, number of doctors and nurses, and facilities provided to the patients have also been assessed in the CAG report.
Also Read: Delhi's health infrastructure under scrutiny: Rekha Gupta to table CAG report
Here are the top seven takeaways:
(1) Shocking Deficiencies in Mohalla Clinics:
Financial Express has reported that the CAG report revealed shocking inefficiencies in Mohalla clinics. Allegedly, the duration of patient consultation at these clinics is barely 30 seconds and the clinics also have no access to essential medicines or ICU facilities. The clinics had no access to basic medical equipment like oxymeters, glucometers, X-ray viewers, blood pressure monitors, or even thermometers. Shockingly, the patients were asked to buy their own tetanus medication and syringes.
The audit noted that the list of 165 medications was either nor procured by the concerned agency or not delivered by the vendors. Due to these delays, the clinics remained shut between 15 days to 23 months.
As per the CAG report 41 out of 2018 clinics across the four districts of Delhi (North, South, East, South West, and West), remained shut at the time of evaluation. The report on revenue, economy, social and general sectors, and PSUs that 18% of the clinics, which were evaluated for this purpose, were non-operational. Reportedly, this is mainly due to a shortage of doctors and healthcare personnel and as a result, the clinics were faced with resignations and de-empanelment.
Among the 81 clinics that were assessed, 10 clinics operated without potable water, 24 had no infrastructure to store medicines, 21 lacked toilet facilities, 6 clinics had no examination tables and 12 were inaccessible to differently-abled persons. Further, the report highlighted that the laboratory services were completely unavailable across the Mohalla clinics in Delhi from November 16, 2022, to December 14, 2022.
Further, the report revealed that between 2016 and 2023, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) failed to effectively utilize its allocated budget for Mohalla clinics and that the Government missed its own target of setting up 1000 clinics by March 31, 2017. The Government managed to set up only 523 clinics by March 31, 2023.
(2) Deficiencies in Ayush Dispensaries:
Apart from the deficiencies in Mohalla clinics, the CAG report also highlighted the inadequate infrastructure in the Ayush Dispensaries across Delhi. Reportedly, 17 out of 49 Ayush dispensaries had no power back-up, seven had no toilets and 14 did not have facilities for drinking water, Daily Pioneer has reported.
(3) Hospitals Lacking Critical Services:
The CAG report revealed that several Delhi hospitals are facing a severe shortage of critical medical services. It noted that out of the 27 hospitals in Delhi, ICU facilities are not available at 14 hospitals, blood banks are absent in 16 hospitals, eight hospitals do not have oxygen supply, 15 do not have a mortuary and 12 hospitals are operating without ambulance services.
As per the report, the patients sometimes had to wait long time for surgery. In the case of Lok Nayak Hospital, the patients have to wait 2-3 months for general surgeries while for burn and plastic surgeries, the waiting period is 6-8 months. At the CNBC Hospital, there is a 12-month waiting period for pediatric surgeries, India Today has reported.
(4) Shortage of Healthcare Workers:
A huge shortage of healthcare workers has also been reported in the Delhi hospitals. The report revealed that there is a 21 per cent shortage of nurses, 38 percent shortage of paramedics, and a 50-96 percent shortage of doctors and nurses in some hospitals.
(5) Critical Hospital Facilities Lying Unused:
It was observed in the report that operation theatres, ICU beds, and private rooms remained unused at Rajiv Gandhi and Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospitals, while on the other hand, the trauma centers lack specialist doctors for emergency care.
(6) Covid Emergency Funds Not Utilised:
The CAG report revealed that even though Rs 787.91 crore was allocated as a COVID-19 response, only Rs 582.84 crore was utilized. Meanwhile, the fund of Rs 30.52 crore, allocated for healthcare workers remained unspent and Rs 83.14 crore allocated for essential drugs and PPE kits went unused.
(7) Hospital Bed Capacity Not Expanded, Hospital Projects Delayed:
While on the one hand, funds have not been properly used, the CAG report also highlighted that out of the promised 32,000 new hospital beds, only 1,357 (4.24 per cent) were added. Meanwhile, due to the occupancy rates of 101 per cent to 189 per cent, the patients were forced to lie on floors.
Major hospital projects faced delays of 3-6 years, with cost overruns amounting to Rs 382.52 crore. As a result, hospitals such as Indira Gandhi Hospital, Burari Hospital, and MA Dental Ph-II were significantly impacted.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also oversees the finance department, will present the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the Delhi Assembly today, reports ANI.
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