Saxena: Bharadwaj abdicating accountability for administrative errors

On Friday, LG VK Saxena accused Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj of abdicating his responsibilities and engaging in media blame games after his call for harsh action against officials accountable for the lack of consumables and medications at state-run health institutions.

The LG said in a letter to Bharadwaj that the much-discussed “Delhi Model” of health care delivery was in disarray and that Bharadwaj was to blame for downplaying the assertions made by his own chief minister and earlier health ministers.

In his letter, the LG said that the only goal of such a message was to deflect attention from your personal accountability for administrative errors and to fabricate a story for the public to believe that everyone else was to blame for the mistakes.
He went on, “You have continually chosen to shoot off misleading missives and indulge in media blame games instead of taking the issue head-on.”
Bharadwaj had asked for a time-bound investigation into officials for falsifying information and deceiving the government about the matter in his letter to LG on Thursday.
The LG expressed astonishment that basic supplies were lacking at state-run hospitals and mentioned receiving input from several individuals pointing out the “virtual collapse” of the government’s health system.
“I invited you to participate in a conversation about important public health issues, but you declined the invitation and gave a petty reason why you couldn’t go,” Saxena wrote.
The LG said that the National Capital Civil Service Authority, which presided over the CM, who hasn’t called a meeting in the previous six months, is the only body that may suggest disciplining personnel.
The LG also noted that no new hospitals had been constructed in the previous nine years, and the increase of beds in existing ones had been postponed, with the exception of one hospital in Siraspur, which experienced significant delays and cost overruns.
The situation is so dire that the high court recently had to intervene and form a committee of physicians to get an accurate evaluation of healthcare facilities and a schedule for implementing remedial measures, according to Saxena.