The Lieutenant Governor (LG) office has again forgotten that the ‘Services’ Department of Delhi Govt is under control of LG/Central Government for the last 10 years. The LG saab and his ‘Services’ department is responsible for creation of new Sanctioned posts in any Delhi Govt Department including Health Department. And then it is LG’s services department which is solely responsible for recruitment of additional doctors, specialists and paramedics for the upcoming as well as existing Hospitals. It is purely and squarely the Services Department under LG saab where they had to create new Sanctioned posts of Doctors, Specialists and paramedical staff for the upcoming Hospitals and Hospital blocks.
It is also important to note that everyone in the Government and Services Department and LG office is aware that for many years almost 14,000 beds are being constructed as new Hospitals and new blocks in existing Hospitals. Since the year these Hospitals are under Construction, each year the Cabinet approves the annual budget for construction of these Hospitals and it goes to LG for approval before being tabled to the Legislative Assembly.
How can LG saab claim that he and his predecessors were not aware about these Hospitals under Construction? It is not a secret that these Hospitals were under Construction for a few years. And it is entirely the work of LG and Departments under him who have to create new posts of Doctors, Specialists, paramedics and then recruit them through UPSC and DSSSB. The recruitment via UPSC and DSSSB is beyond the domain of Elected Govt of Delhi and is again a subject matter of LG. LG saab has to perform his responsibilities under the Constitutional scheme forced by Central Govt.
LG saab enjoys the exclusive powers on these subjects, and he and his predecessors should have been working on this subject since the construction of these hospitals had started. LG saab should explain why he did not fulfil his responsibilities?
Noting that LG office is least interested in fulfilling the responsibilities attached to the high office, the Minister of Health Saurabh Bharadwaj going out of the way called meeting (more than an year back on 03.07.2023) of all the MS/MDs of the Hospitals (those overseeing the construction of these new hospitals), Senior officers of AR Department, and Health Department including Health Secretary Deepak Kumar and sensitized them to proactively work on creation of new posts and then filling up these new posts through UPSC/ DSSSB. Though it was not the work of the Health Minister, still Saurabh Bharadwaj chaired this elaborate meeting dated 03.07.2023 and all details were noted for each of the upcoming Hospitals and directions were given to expedite the process.
However, the Health Secretary, Deepak Kumar, and the Services Department directly under LG saab miserably failed to even create the even a single new sanctioned posts for upcoming Hospitals. The minutes of the meeting dated 03.07.2024 are attached with this Press Note. The details can be seen in the minutes. No Minister is expected to go into such details when it’s not even his subject matter.
When the Minister of Health Saurabh Bharadwaj noticed that Hon’ble LG is still not fulfilling the responsibilities which are given to him as Head of Services Department, the Health Minister reminded the Hon’ble LG several times via written notes.
Sadly, in spite of being reminded by the Minister of Health, LG saab and the department under him failed to perform its duties. There have been several UO notes by Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj which have been written to the Health Secretary and LG saab to ask the Services Department to create the sanctioned posts of Doctors, Specialists, Paramedics for the upcoming hospitals.
On 25.6.2024, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj reminded the Health Secretary about creation of posts for upcoming Hospitals.
On 26.7.2024, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote to LG saab about his responsibilities related to creation of new posts for upcoming Hospitals and later recruitment of Doctors, specialists and paramedics.
Before this also, multiple written notes have been sent to LG saab by the Cheif Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj to recruit doctors, specialists and paramedics.
Till date , not even one new post has been created by the Services Department for the upcoming hospitals. Only after the sanctioned posts are created by Services Dept of LG, it can be sent to UPSC for recruitment of doctors and specialists. And after that it will take at least 2 more years to bring the doctors and specialists on board. This is a very time consuming process and comes directly under the control of Hon’ble LG.
The existing Hospitals of Delhi Govt are already facing vacancies of 30% doctors and specialists. If the Hon’ble LG works at the current pace, then it will take another decade to hire doctors , specialists and paramedics for the new upcoming Hospitals. Without having doctors , specialists, paramedics onboard, the newly constructed infrastructure, furniture, services and equipments will start deteriorating.
