Delhi Lieutenant Governor(LG)V K Saxena on Monday approved the recruitment of 701 nurses and 762 paramedical staff, the Raj Niwas said.

This recruitment drive of 1,463 healthcare staff, facilitated through public sector undertakings (PSU), allows hospitals to onboard essential personnel under a direct recruitment quota with relaxed recruitment rules, the statement from the LG's office said. The decision to recruit healthcare workers on an outsourced basis aims to bolster the city's healthcare infrastructure and alleviate the strain on existing medical staff, it added.

This development comes in response to recommendations from the Dr S K Sarin Committee, formed after the Delhi High Court raised concerns about the city's inadequate healthcare resources and workforce, according to the release.The Delhi High Court, in a directive issued in February, highlighted the urgent need for the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD) to strengthen its healthcare infrastructure, which it had deemed insufficient to meet the demands of a growing population.

The court mandated that the GNCTD file a status report on its plans to ensure that the medical system can keep pace with the city's needs, particularly emphasising shortages in hospital beds and medical personnel, the statement read.

It called for substantial investments and structural reforms within government hospitals to address years of neglect and inefficiency.

Reacting to the development, the AAP in a statement said that the Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj has been raising this issue with LG for more than one and a half years. However, LG did not do so but now due to the directions of the High Court and Dr. Sareen Committee, he has been forced to do his constitutional duties because the status of his action has to be submitted before the High Court.

“We are very thankful to the High Court as well as the Dr. Sareen Committee for bringing forth these issues which have been continuously flagged by the elected government but LG had been ignoring them,” the ruling party said.