A BJP delegation, led by Delhi Pradesh Vice President and Councilor Yogita Singh on Saturday inspected the building and medical infrastructure at the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) run Kasturba Gandhi hospital, after reports of death of a child on ventilator and maternity deliveries taking place in mobile torch light as the hospital faced a major power cut of nine hours three days back.The delegation included Delhi BJP Media Head Praveen Shankar Kapoor, Councilors Neema Bhagat, Satya Sharma, Dr. Monica Pant, Neeta Bisht, Smt. Alka Raghav, and Manisha Punia.
Kapoor has simultaneously sent a letter to Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Kasturba Hospital’s pathetic state of affairs. In the letter, he mentioned that the Delhi BJP President, Virendra Sachdeva, has formed a team of five councillors, led by state Vice President Yogita Singh, who will visit the hospital for inspection.
The letter details a power outage at the hospital on August 22, which was to last from 1 pm to 4 pm got extended until 7.45 pm. The outage caused the failure of ICU services, leading to the death of a child on a ventilator.
Additionally, three deliveries were conducted by candlelight due to malfunctioning backup systems.
In the letter, Kapoor stated that Kasturba Gandhi Hospital is the largest maternity hospital in Asia. He also accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of not providing funds for the hospital’s maintenance for the past 10 years and said that once a specialised hospital for women, it is now in poor condition.
During the visit, the BJP delegation went around the hospital, talked to several patients, attendants, doctors, medical staff and noted several infrastructure deficency issues at the hospital. The delegation also talked to a woman whose surgery was performed in darkness ans she told that light came only when her surgery had completed around 8 pm.
They reported to Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva that the building was in a poor state, lifts are not operative in a maternity hospital, inadequate sanitation all around and waterlogging in the basement could be seen.