- By Kamakshi Bishnoi
- Wed, 05 Mar 2025 10:36 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday accused the previous Arvind Kejriwal-led government of betraying the people of Delhi in the name of a health model. During a surprise inspection of Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in Dilshad Garden, Delhi, CM Gupta pointed out the negligence of the previous government, stating that several medical equipment purchased during the Covid period are now gathering dust in the store room, with many of them already damaged.
Accompanied by Suresh Kumar, the Medical Director of GTB, the Chief Minister first reached the store room of the hospital, where many equipment including ventilators purchased during the pandemic were kept unused. After this, She inspected the 1,200-bed building constructed during the Covid period, which has remained closed for several months.
"The whole system is defunct... Patients are not able to get their treatment, and doctors are embarrassed. Only one MD is working for four huge hospitals. The health and education model of the AAP government was zero," news agency ANI quoted CM Rekha Gupta.
"The entire godown is stuffed. There are 458 oxygen concentrators, 146 ventilators, 36000 PPE kits and a lot of other medical equipment lying here... All of this has been here since the time of Covid. Godowns of all the hospitals are also packed like this, as I said in the House yesterday," CM Gupta added.
CM Gupta also interacted with patients admitted in the maternity department and encouraged the doctors on duty. Expressing her concern, she said that patients are suffering due to the unavailability of functional ventilators, despite GTB Hospital being the largest facility on the Yamuna side and catering to thousands of patients daily.
Raising questions over hospital administration, the CM noted that the health director of GTB is handling responsibilities for four major hospitals and asked why no additional doctors have been appointed to share the workload.
Targeting the AAP Go, CM Gupta said, "Those who are shouting that Rs 2,500 should be distributed (to the women of Delhi) should see what kind of government they have left for us. They wasted crores of rupees belonging to the people of Delhi."
She announced that a committee will be formed to investigate the negligence, determine how long the health equipment has been unused, and address other shortcomings in the hospital. CM Gupta also pointed out a severe staff shortage, with 50 per cent of doctor and staff positions vacant.
During the visit, the security staff of the hospital also informed the Chief Minister that they haven't received salaries for the past six months. They alleged that after the previous company's contract ended, the new company is demanding bribes for retaining their jobs and threatening them with termination if they fail to pay. The Chief Minister assured them of necessary help and intervention.