NEW DELHI: A new report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has painted a grim picture of Delhi’s public healthcare system under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The findings, which are yet to be officially tabled in the Delhi Assembly, expose serious shortcomings in critical and emergency services at government hospitals, contradicting AAP’s claims of a healthcare revolution over the past decade.
According to the CAG report, more than half of Delhi government-run hospitals do not have ICU facilities, and nearly 60 per cent lack blood banks. Several hospitals also fall short of essential services, including ambulances and mortuary facilities.
Out of 27 hospitals reviewed, 14 did not have ICU services, 16 lacked blood banks, and 12 did not have ambulances. Shockingly, eight hospitals were found to be operating without a proper oxygen supply, while 15 had no mortuary services.
At sole Delhi government-run trauma facility, Sushruta Trauma Centre, the report found no permanent arrangement for specialist doctors and senior residents to provide 24-hour emergency services. Additionally, the Centralised Accident and
Trauma Services (CATS) ambulance fleet was found to be running without necessary medical equipment. The report also highlighted severe shortages of essential medicines in government hospitals. Due to failures in procurement by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), hospitals were forced to buy between 33 per cent to 47 per cent of essential drugs directly from vendors.
Super-specialty hospitals in the capital were also severely understaffed, leading to underutilization of critical healthcare facilities. At Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH), major facilities like modular operation theaters, transplant ICUs, and general hospital beds remained non-functional due to a lack of staff. Similarly, Janakpuri Super Speciality Hospital (JSSH) struggled to run its emergency services, blood bank, and intensive care units.
Non-utilisation of clinical infrastructure at both super speciality centers happened due to an alarming shortage of staffs which include upto 74 per cent vacancy of doctors, upto 96 per cent shortage of Nursing Staff, and upto 62 per cent shortage of paramedic staff. The report further exposed the dire state of hospital wards, where overcrowding forced multiple patients to share a single bed or lie on the floor. In nine hospitals, bed occupancy rates ranged from 101 per cent to 189 per cent, while in seven others, it was between 109 per cent and 169 per cent.
