Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services in the Delhi Assembly on February 28. The report highlighted severe gaps in the healthcare system under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, pointing to underutilized funds, delayed projects, and shortages in staff and essential medical supplies.
Mismanagement of COVID-19 funds
The CAG report revealed that the Delhi government used only ₹582.84 crore of the ₹787.91 crore allocated by the central government for COVID-19 management, raising concerns over resource utilization during the pandemic.
Failing Mohalla Clinics and AYUSH dispensaries
The report painted a bleak picture of Delhi’s much-publicized Mohalla Clinics, noting that:
Similarly, AYUSH dispensaries suffered from infrastructure gaps, with 17 of 49 lacking power backup, 7 without toilets, and 14 missing drinking water facilities.
Severe staff shortages and crumbling hospitals
The audit found a 21% deficit in healthcare staff across the Health and Family Welfare Department, with a 30-38% shortage of specialists, nurses, and paramedics in hospitals. This led to surgery wait times of 6-12 months at leading hospitals like Lok Nayak Hospital (LNH) and Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya (CNBC). Underutilized operation theatres due to a lack of medical personnel. Essential services missing in hospitals — ICU facilities absent in 14 out of 27 hospitals, blood banks unavailable in 16, and oxygen supply lacking in 8 hospitals.
Infrastructure projects delayed, funds underutilized
Despite the AAP government’s promise of adding 32,000 hospital beds, only 1,357 were actually added between 2016 and 2021. Construction delays of up to six years led to a ₹382.52 crore cost overrun, while 15 acquired hospital plots worth ₹648.05 lakh remained unutilized for 6-15 years.
Financial and regulatory failures
Poor implementation of health schemes
The report also found that maternal and child health programs saw massive underutilization of funds, ranging from 58.9% in 2016-17 to 93.03% in 2019-20. Only 50% of maternal deaths between 2016-21 were reviewed, affecting policy improvements.
Additionally, the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme for free surgeries and diagnostics faced delays of up to eight months due to lack of monitoring and Aadhaar-based tracking.
The CAG report highlights critical deficiencies in Delhi’s healthcare system under the AAP government, from delayed hospital projects and mismanaged funds to a severe shortage of staff and essential medical services.