Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena and Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj have yet again entered in a war of words, with the former blaming the AAP leader for ‘utter lack of basic consumables’ in Delhi Government hospital on Friday while the latter inviting the Centre appointed LG to visit the hospitals where majority of patients come from BJP ruled Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Launching a scathing attack on the ruling AAP government, the LG said, “I am writing with reference to your U.O note number Min health/2024/1182 dated 4th April 2024 drawing attention to the utter lack of basic consumables in Dr Hedgewar Arogya Sansthan and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya.”

Claiming that ‘the much touted ‘Delhi Model’ of health service delivery lies in shambles’, the Centre appointed LG said that he is appalled at the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Delhi government hospitals. “ I am surprised that hospitals in the national capital run by the Delhi government are not equipped even with basic consumables like cotton,” he said. He said that the minister is ‘avoiding’ his responsibility In the letter while accusing him of making it a recurrent practice to cast blame for deficiency solely on the officers.

Hitting back at him, Bhardwaj said, “I will be pleased to take you to the hospitals of Delhi Government where more than 50% patients are from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.” He said that  the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary are misleading the AAP ruled Delhi government by submitting that there is no scarcity of medicines & consumables.

“However, instead of solving the issue, the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary are misleading the Government by submitting that there is no scarcity of medicines & consumables. You have yourself agreed in your communication that there is scarcity of medicines & consumables in hospitals,” Bhardwaj said.

Meanwhile, Saxena claimed that over the last one decade, there has been a complete lack of oversight in the health sector. “Infrastructure is grossly inadequate in some cases, while it is nonfunctional in others,” he said.

“I had written to the chief minister way back in June last year, that apart from construction of only one new hospital at Siraspur, which had huge time and cost overruns, no new hospitals have been established during the last nine years. In existing hospitals, addition of beds was badly delayed,” LG claimed, while saying that Bhardwaj disregarded his invitation to discuss issues of public importance related to healthcare by giving ‘frivolous excuses’.

He said that instead of taking the issues in healthcare head on, Bhardwaj consistently choses to ‘shoot off misleading missives and indulge in media blame game’, claiming that the High Court was so ‘anguished with the miserable situation of the health infrastructure, that the division bench threatened the AAP leader in open court with imprisonment’.

Saxena reminded the Minister that ‘health is a subject which is wholly transferred to the elected government under the constitutional scheme of things in GNCT of Delhi’. He said, “As minister in charge, you should not shy away from taking decisions of portfolios assigned to you in the council of ministers. This grave situation should ideally have been discussed way back in the council of ministers, which is the highest deliberative policy making body of the government.”

In a bid to hit back at LG, the AAP leader shared multiple news reports where it is claimed that LG has initiated enquiries. He said, “It’s nowhere mentioned that CM led NCCSA has ordered those enquiries.”

While stating that the health conditions in the national capital are bad, Saxena remarked “High Court had to step in recently and constitute a committee of doctors to get a proper assessment of health facilities and a roadmap for invoking correctives.” Further, he said that this is a sad reflection on the performance of the executive, if judicial action is required to step in.

He shared, “several public representatives, eminent doctors and the real ‘aam aadmi’ of Delhi, whom I meet every day, have shared innumerable experiences which highlight the virtual collapse of government health infrastructure.”

Hitting out on AAP over announcements of augmentation of beds in hospitals and construction of new hospitals, he said, “Sadly, announcements which were made with much fanfare were not followed up with the zeal and urgency that was warranted.”

Delhi Minister in his response to LG asked several questions including “Why is LG not saying even a word about initiation of enquiry against the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary?”