Tihar wants a diabetologist in spite of the abundance of facilities claimed: Minister

On Sunday, Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the Tihar Jail administration of seeking an AIIMS diabetologist to treat Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This revelation runs counter to earlier claims made by jail staff that inmates with diabetes get adequate medical treatment.

In a letter dated April 20, Bharadwaj presented AIIMS with a request for a diabetologist to be involved in Kejriwal’s medical treatment from the Director General of Prisons, Tihar. Speaking to the media, he cited Kejriwal as saying, “I need insulin; I am not being given insulin. I have diabetes for 20 to 22 years. I have been on insulin for 12 years.”

“The sugar reading in the report is random, with no sugar levels recorded after meals or during fasting,” Bharadwaj said, highlighting inconsistencies in Kejriwal’s blood sugar monitoring.

“The BJP-ruled Central Government wants to conceal his high sugar levels… so that he does not receive appropriate medication,” Bharadwaj said, accusing the government of plotting against Kejriwal. Along with his worries about the possible health risks of persistently high blood sugar, he issued a warning, saying that “if diabetes remains uncontrolled, it can have serious repercussions.”

Virendra Sachdeva, the head of the Delhi BJP, denied the claims, claiming that Kejriwal’s blood sugar levels were under control when he was incarcerated. To bolster his arguments, Sachdeva cited medical records and a video conference between Kejriwal and physicians from AIIMS and Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.

He attacked the AAP, saying it had become disconnected from Delhiites and had turned to political theater when it came to Arvind Kejriwal’s health. Residents, according to Sachdeva, were prepared to reject the AAP-Congress coalition in the next elections because they had seen through the AAP’s “phony and politically motivated melodramas.”