Observing that “all is not well” in the city health department, which is witnessing a “bitter” tussle among authorities, the Delhi High Court on Monday charged the Aiims director with the responsibility of implementing the recommendations of the six-member expert committee headed by Dr SK Sarin to improve services at Delhi government-run hospitals.
A bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan, which received a letter from Sarin urging the committee to refrain from overseeing the implementation of the proposed reforms, noted that four member doctors, working in hospitals under the Delhi government, “felt threatened” and “scared”.
The court lamented the “complete lack of consensus between bureaucrats and the minister” and said the quality of health services in Delhi remained “apprehensive” and the common man was the ultimate victim of apathy and indifference at the hands of those in charge.
“The letter is very eloquent. The court is of the view that if four of the senior doctors of the GNCTD, after preparing a lengthy pro bono report, refrain from carrying out the mandate of monitoring and verifying the implementation of its recommendations, it shows that all is not well in the health department of the GNCTD,” the court, which also includes Justice Manmeet PS Arora, said.
The letter dated August 26, signed by Sarin, said that in implementing the recommendations, the committee members “feel challenges as four out of six members of the committee work in hospitals run by the Delhi government and are subordinate to the government.”
Noting that “the atmosphere is quite toxic,” the court said open accusations were being made by both sides (the health minister and the bureaucrats).
The court also took judicial notice of the fact that a “party worker” has been accused of the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.
“You only have to see that four of the six senior doctors feel threatened… There are open accusations from both sides. You have to see how fiercely they are fighting. They are senior doctors and they are scared… The court is of the opinion that the health department of the GNCTD, instead of declaring war on diseases and misinformation, is at war with itself,” he said.
“Extraordinary situations require extraordinary measures. An ordinary citizen cannot be forced to suffer. The court therefore appoints Director Aiims to ensure that the report of Dr Sarin’s committee is implemented with due seriousness,” it ordered.
The court also asked the authorities to ensure that the services of the four member doctors are renewed for two years and that they are not harassed.
The Delhi government’s senior adviser said what the four doctors were facing could be a “dilemma” and not threats.
He also expressed reservations about involving the director of Aiims in the matter as the institution is under the central government.
“Let us not involve them in politics. Let us keep a few out of the race,” Justice Manmohan told the lawyer.
The court ordered that a meeting of the concerned municipal authorities be held within a week to discuss the creation of posts of doctors and paramedics in the 24 hospitals to be built in Delhi.
The court issued the order after the city government’s chief advisor suggested that a meeting of a committee headed by the lieutenant governor and comprising the health minister, chief secretary, health secretary and services secretary be convened to discuss the issue.
“The suggestion is fair and reasonable,” Justice Manmohan said, adding that the Delhi government will also issue necessary orders to appoint 20 doctors who have been awaiting approval for over a year.
The court said the Aiims director can take all necessary steps to implement the committee’s recommendations, including constitution of teams, fund raising, procurement of equipment, etc., and asked him to submit a report.
He directed the Chief Secretary, Finance Secretary and Principal Secretary (Home) to ensure that the decisions of the Director of Aiims, including recruitment of medical staff on contractual basis, are implemented.
The court had constituted the Sarin committee on a PIL it had initiated on its own in 2017 over alleged lack of ICU beds and ventilators in government hospitals.
The committee has pointed out deficiencies in the medical system including vacant posts, shortage of critical faculty, infrastructure, medical or surgical consumables, emergency operating theatres (OT) and trauma services.
The next matter will be heard on September 30.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 2, 2024 | 21:19 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.