Blood banks running without licences, facing staff shortage

Thirty-two out of the 68 blood banks in Delhi are functioning without valid licenses due to delay in processing applications for their renewal, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) found in its 2016-17 audit of the Delhi government, which was tabled in the Assembly on Tuesday.

The CAG found several deficiencies in management of blood banks including lack of updates on authentic information pertaining to blood/blood components in the National Health Portal, thus depriving Delhiites of information regarding availability of blood and its components.

The report also noted the significant shortage of medical staff throughout 2012-17 in AYUSH dispensaries. Against sanctioned posts of 163 doctors and 155 pharmacists, 28 posts of doctor and 61 posts of pharmacist were vacant as of March 2017.

Out of 103 homoeopathic dispensaries, only 24 have full complement of staff to ensure proper patient care, the report read.

Cancer institute

“The South Delhi Municipal Corporation failed to recover mobilisation advance and interest of ₹1.07 crore from a contractor though the work was abandoned by the contractor in 2013,” the report noted.

Due to delay of four years in sanctioning staff for the Delhi State Cancer Institute (West) by the GNCTD, the in-patient department (IPD), planned for commissioning by November 2014, was not made operational as of October 2017, thereby depriving treatment facility to cancer patients.

Fifty hospital beds (₹96.89 lakh) and a Photon Beam Accelerator (₹12.28 crore) are also lying idle since November 2015 and July 2016 respectively, added the CAG.