The Delhi High Court expressed frustration with the Health Minister and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) over the poor state of health infrastructure. The court directed the LG to convene a meeting with the Health Minister and relevant officials to address the urgent need for recruiting 38,000 additional health workers.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court recently expressed strong disapproval over the ongoing dispute between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) led Delhi government and Lieutenant Governor (LG) VK Saxena regarding the mismanagement in the city’s government hospitals.
A Division Bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, pointed out that Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj placing blame on the officials for the poor state of affairs, while the LG attributed the issues to the political leadership.
The Bench highlighted the lack of coordination between the Health Minister and bureaucrats, which has resulted in a continued decline in Delhi’s health infrastructure, leaving the common public to bear the consequences.
The court stated,
“The quality of health infrastructure in Delhi continues to be dismal, and the common man is the ultimate victim,”
The Bench observed,
“It is pertinent to mention that this Court had summoned the Health Secretary, GNCTD and the Health Minister, GNCTD some months back in another contempt proceeding and orally suggested to them that they should work together amicably in a bid to improve the quality of health care of the citizens of Delhi. However, it seems that the said suggestion has not found favour with them,”
The court now directed the LG to convene a meeting within a week involving the Health Minister, Chief Secretary, Secretary Health, Secretary Services, and Secretary Administrative Reforms to address the creation of 38,000 new posts for doctors, specialists, and paramedics in 24 upcoming hospitals in Delhi.
The Delhi High Court issued its order in a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) focused on enhancing the city’s health infrastructure.
As part of this case, the Court previously established an expert committee, led by Dr. SK Sarin, to propose measures for improving healthcare services in Delhi. The committee submitted a comprehensive report outlining its recommendations.
Subsequently, Dr. Sarin informed the Court through a letter that four doctors wished to recuse themselves from the process. The letter expressed concerns about potential difficulties in implementing the recommendations, as these doctors were employed by the Delhi government.
The Court remarked that the request for recusal by these senior doctors was an indication of deeper issues within the health department.
Following this, the Bench assigned the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) the responsibility of overseeing the implementation of the recommendations made by Dr. Sarin’s committee.
The Delhi High Court directed senior officials of the Delhi government, including the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary, and Principal Secretary (Home), to ensure immediate implementation of any decisions made by the Director of AIIMS Delhi, particularly those concerning the hiring of paramedics, staff, or doctors on a contractual basis until permanent recruitment is conducted through the DSSSB or UPSC.
The Court’s order stated,
“Chief Secretary GNCTD, Finance Secretary of GNCTD, and Principal Secretary (Home), GNCTD are directed to ensure that any decision taken by the Director AIIMS Delhi is implemented forthwith, including any decision to recruit paramedics or staff or Doctors on a contractual basis till permanent recruitment through DSSSB or UPSC takes place,”
Advocate Ashok Agarwal served as amicus curiae in the case, assisted by advocates Kumar Utkarsh, Ashna Khan, and Manoj Kumar.
The Union of India represented by Central Government Standing Counsel Kirtiman Singh, alongside advocates Waize Ali Noor, Ranjeev Khatana, Varun Pratap Singh, and Maulik Khurrana.
Senior Advocate Rahul Mehra, along with advocates Satyakam, Chaitanya Gosain, and Pradyut Kashyap, represented the Delhi government.
Advocate Siddharth Panda appeared on behalf of the expert committee.
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