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Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday conducted a surprise inspection of Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital at Rajpur Road, Civil Lines, and interacted with patients and their families to assess arrangements and the availability of doctors.
According to an official release, during the inspection, the Chief Minister reviewed arrangements in the OPD, wards, medicine distribution centre, cleanliness systems, water supply and digital services, and interacted directly with patients and their attendants to assess the ground situation. Taking note of complaints, she instructed hospital authorities to ensure all facilities are streamlined without delay. The release said that several elderly patients informed the Chief Minister that they had been waiting in queues since early morning without being attended to. Expressing displeasure, CM Gupta directed the administration to ensure adequate seating arrangements and implement a proper token system so that patients are not forced to stand for long hours. She also flagged shortcomings in the availability of doctors, overcrowding in OPD services and inefficiencies in the online appointment system. Despite the presence of a digital booking facility, patients were still facing long waiting times, she noted, directing officials to integrate online and offline systems to minimise delays. Patients further complained about the unavailability of medicines, forcing them to purchase drugs from outside. Taking serious note of the issue, the Chief Minister ordered an immediate verification of stock registers and said a "zero tolerance" policy must be adopted regarding the availability of medicines and vaccines. She stressed that "the medicine required today must be provided today," said the release. During the visit, Gupta also reviewed the vaccination unit, where a large number of patients receive anti-rabies and other injections daily, and instructed officials to ensure uninterrupted availability of essential vaccines. The release further stated that concerns related to sanitation, water supply and toilet facilities were also raised by patients and attendants. The Chief Minister reprimanded officials over the deficiencies and directed them to resolve the issues immediately, stating that the lack of cleanliness and basic facilities in hospitals is unacceptable. She further ordered administrative reforms to improve accountability in health services, including mandatory biometric attendance for doctors and staff and compulsory display of nameplates during duty hours. CM Gupta also expressed concern over rising hepatitis cases and directed doctors to suggest measures for investigation and prevention, the release stated. The release added that the Chief Minister reiterated that the Delhi government is committed to ensuring citizen-centric healthcare. "Our commitment is to ensure that every citizen of Delhi experiences a healthcare system where treatment is timely, facilities are modern, surroundings are clean, and every patient is served with dignity," she said. (ANI)
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