Bharadwaj: Will file case against chief secy, health secy if anyone dies due to shortage of medicines

WARNING THAT he will file a case against the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary “if anyone dies due to a shortage of medicines” in Delhi, Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday said a criminal conspiracy is being hatched to create the deficit in Delhi government hospitals.

During a special discussion in the Delhi Assembly on the issue, Bharadwaj said chief secretary Naresh Kumar and health secretarysb deep a kw ere also asked to attend the session but they did not come. Bharadwaj said that since January, he has been getting complaints that medicines were not available in hospitals, and tests have been stopped in mohalla clinics, but the two bureaucrats are“lying” about the scar city .“the Delhi government is being mis led by officials and the L-G,” he said.

He said that he had spoken with the health secretary, and gave him written and verbal directions, but no action was taken.

During the session, bharadwaj and other ml as including sanje ev Jha and Mahendra Goyal shared OPD cards of patients visiting different hospitals and claimed that a number of medicines were not available there. Bharadwaj mentioned a report published in The Indian express, which spoke about the shortage in the hospitals. “Tenders are issued by the CPA (Central Procurement Agency) to supply medicines to hospitals, and... the tender issued in 2023 was not final is ed foray ear, despite companies bidding for it...”

He said at a meeting on march 11, officials of hospitals told him that the Health Department has issued a few circulars due to which they are unable to purchase medicine seven through local purchase or local-rate contract.

At a press conference later, Rohini BJP MLA Vijender Gupta, who was among the opposition legislators to be marshalled out from the House for sloganeering, accused the Delhi government of nepotism, “administrative paralysis”, and deliberate obstruction of beneficial health initiatives.