Healthcare Gaps in Delhi: CAG Report Reveals Clinics Lacking Toilets and Hospitals Missing ICUs

On Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta presented the report from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) regarding ‘Public Health Infrastructure and Management of Health Services’ in the Delhi Assembly. The report highlights issues such as ‘underutilisation of funds,’ ‘delays in executing projects,’ and a ‘lack of staff and essential drugs’ stemming from the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) administration.

The comprehensive 208-page CAG report indicates that the AAP government in Delhi ‘grossly’ mismanaged resources, having utilized only ₹582.84 crore out of the ₹787.91 crore allocated by the central government.

This CAG report focused on healthcare marks the second such report presented by the BJP-led government in the Delhi Assembly. Earlier this week, another CAG report was introduced, consisting of eight chapters that revealed deficiencies in execution which resulted in an approximate loss of ₹2,002 crore to the Delhi government.

“Alarming Condition” of Mohalla Clinics

The CAG audit report for the years 2024, covering the period from 2016-17 to 2021-22, assessed the “alarming condition” of the Mohalla Clinic scheme, which was a key initiative of the previous AAP government.

The findings indicated that 21 Mohalla Clinics lacked toilet facilities, 15 did not have power backups, six were missing examination tables, and 12 were not accessible for individuals with disabilities. A similar predicament was observed in dispensaries, where 17 out of 49 examined did not have power reserves, seven lacked toilet facilities, and 14 were without drinking water access.

The report also noted significant underutilisation of allocated funds, detailing inadequate payments to healthcare staff and insufficient deployment of health workers. Although ₹52 crore was set aside for this purpose, only ₹30.52 crore was expended.

Furthermore, the report revealed that ₹83.14 crore out of the released ₹119.85 crore for medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and masks, went unused.

The CAG report further disclosed that despite high demand for hospital beds, only 1,357 beds were added from budget years 2016-17 to 2020-2021, in stark contrast to the promised 32,000.

Only three new hospitals were completed under the AAP administration, with the final costs exceeding those initially tendered.

No ICU Services in 14 Hospitals

The report cited a personnel shortage in hospitals, extending waiting times for surgeries to as long as six to eight hours, alongside equipment that was not operational.

According to the report, at the (RGSSH), critical facilities such as six modular/semi-modular operation theatres, Stone Centre, Transplant ICU, wards, a kitchen, 77 private/special rooms, 16 ICU beds, 154 general beds, and the Resident Doctors Hostel were non-functional.

The report indicated that out of 27 hospitals, ICU services were unavailable in 14, blood bank services in 16, oxygen services in 8, mortuary services in 15, and ambulance services in 12 hospitals.

Funds allocated for (RMNCH) schemes were also significantly underutilised, with unexploited funds ranging from 58.90 per cent (2016-17) to 93.03 per cent (2019-20), pointing to the inadequate implementation of the programme by the GNCTD, as noted in the CAG report.