Delhi Hospital Projects Delayed, AAP-led Govt & LG Secretariate Playing Blame Game

A blame game between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi and the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Secretariat erupted on Wednesday, regarding the delay in the completion of 24 hospital projects in the national capital. With both sides blaming each other, the spat included accusations of misinformation in the media.

The AAP said that in June 2020, amid surging COVID-19 cases with scientific data projecting an alarming rise in the future, it took proactive measures to allocate resources for new hospitals and ICU beds. The ruling party criticized the L-G for not fulfilling constitutional responsibilities regarding the hiring of medical staff.

"The minister had been reminding the LG through written letters that till full-time permanent specialists and doctors are recruited through UPSC, the LG should initiate the process of hiring doctors and specialists on a contract basis. However, the LG did not initiate that process... by citing very frivolous and lame excuses," it said.

In response to these claims, the LG Secretariat asserted that the projects, initiated in June 2020 with a one-year deadline are significantly behind schedule, despite initial plans set in motion during the pandemic. "The AAP statement takes alibi of Covid to justify the construction of 24 buildings worth Rs 10,000 crore, the construction of which started in 2020 with a deadline of one year, but all of them are yet far from completion," the Secretariate said as per PTI reports.

The Secretariate also criticized the AAP’s claims and said that the construction progress is far from satisfactory and no budgetary provisions have been made for operational costs, which are estimated at Rs 5,000 crore annually. It also pointed out that the 24 hospitals, estimated to cost around Rs 10,000 crore, have not been completed as promised.

The initial cost estimate for the redevelopment was Rs 3,800 crore. But rising costs due to delays estimated at an additional Rs 5,000 crore for furniture and medical equipment. The first tenders for these projects were issued between 2019 and 2021, with expectations of completion within six months to a year using prefabricated materials.

A recent high-level meeting, chaired by LG VK Saxena, raised concerns over the financial viability of the projects. The officials, in the meeting, said that the capital works budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year was only Rs 372 crore, which made it difficult to allocate the necessary funds for hospital completion and operations. 

The meeting, as per the Indian Express report, revealed that completing these essential projects would require Rs10,250 crore over three years, alongside an annual operational budget of Rs 8,000 crore. The funding level would delay project completion for at least a decade, Health Secretary SB Deepak Kumar warned 

In response to ongoing issues with hospital capacity, the Delhi High Court has recently established a committee to address the lack of ICU beds and ventilators, along with a report recommending the creation of 38,000 positions.

Despite the pressing need for these facilities, critical decisions regarding operational frameworks, staffing, and infrastructure are still pending.