New Delhi: 

The report, compiled by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), also claimed that diagnostic facilities such as X-ray and ultrasound, although available at many hospitals, are not being used to their full potential either due to malfunction or a shortage of trained staff.

Some government hospitals in Delhi also lack critical services like intensive care units (ICUs), blood banks, and postmortem houses, which severely affects the treatment and comprehensive healthcare plan.

A recent report tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Friday has highlighted several deficiencies in the government hospitals of the national capital. It also raised a serious concern over the lack of essential facilities and underutilisation of existing resources.

Shortcomings at Lok Nayak Hospital:

One of the hospitals highlighted in the report is Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), which allegedly lacks maintenance of medicines.

The LNJP’s operation theatre for major burn surgery is also out of service, which results in a long waiting period of up to 12 months for the treatment of patients. The hospital also struggles with non-functional equipment, as five out of 12 ECG machines are defunct.

The CAG probe also found that medicines were stored and labelled inappropriately, which makes them prone to contamination and spoilage. The government had acknowledged the shortcomings and assured remedial action.

Bike Ambulance Project Fails to Launch:

The CAG report also noted that the First Response Vehicle, a pilot project of running bike ambulances to improve emergency care, also failed to meet expectations.

Launched in 2018, the project involved the purchase of 16 bikes for Rs 12.84 lakh to assist in emergency response in East and North East districts. However, it was stalled only a year later due to a shortage of staff.

Underutilisation of Diagnostic Equipment:

For instance, Chacha Nehru, which can conduct 330 X-rays each day, is only doing 109. Likewise, the CT scan's 12 capacity is lowered to 3, while the ultrasound's 35 capacity is only down to 9.

Other hospitals, such as Chacha Nehru Children Hospital, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital, and Janakpuri Speciality Hospital, also face similar issues and run below capacity.

Similarly, Rajiv Gandhi Hospital performs only 35 X-rays daily of the total 70 capacity that can be performed, and only 23 of the 50 ultrasounds that may be performed are done. Only 27 of the 57 available X-rays are done per day at Janakpuri Hospital, and only one scan is done using the ultrasound's 30 capacity.

Medicines in Short Supply:

The CAG also noted regular shortages of essential medicines. Between April 2016 and March 2021, Loknayak Hospital witnessed shortages of injections on several instances, bringing huge inconvenience to patients, especially haemophilia patients and pregnant women. The government admitted the shortfall and attributed it to the Central Procurement Agency’s (CPA) failure to ensure timely delivery.

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