Delhi Lt-Governor Anil Baijal (File) The Delhi High Court Tuesday said it hopes and expects that Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor, Anil Baijal, will make a decision at the earliest on the government’s proposal for additional posts at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka to ensure its functioning is not hampered in any way.
The court made the observation after the Delhi government said that a requisition was sent for 3,059 posts but only 1,204 posts were approved by the L-G. The court was told that a fresh proposal has been submitted for approval of an additional 1,855 posts, and is currently pending consideration.
Observing that it appears that the Delhi government is sticking to the timelines provided to the court, the division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Amit Bansal said that it should attempt to reduce the timeline for starting super specialities at the hospital from July 2022 to March 2022. The court asked the state government to apprise it about the further progress of the hospital on February 1.
Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the government, told the court that civil and electrical works for all wards comprising 1,241 beds in the OPD block have been completed and the oxygen pipeline has also been installed for beds. While essential furniture has been provided, the court was told that the process for procurement of equipment has been initiated and would be completed by December 31.
Mehra also told the court that OPD, IPD, Emergency and hospital with general specialities would be made operational by December 2021. Regarding the filling of approved posts, the government said the manpower will be engaged on a contract basis or outsourced till they are filled through regular channels. Phase II of the hospital would take 54 months, the court was told.
General specialities to be made operational at the hospital include Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Pathology, Microbiology, Blood Bank, Dentist, Ophthalmology, ENT, Psychiatry, Physiotherapy, Orthopedics, Anesthesia, NICU, PICU, Emergency Medicine and Radiology.
Regarding super specialities, the court, in a written reply, was earlier informed that they “could be set up” from July 2022 subject to availability of qualified super specialities. Between July 2022 to October 2022, seven super specialities — Cardiology, Urology, Nephrology and Dialysis Unit, Pediatric Surgery, Neurology, Neurosurgery and Burn & Plastic — are expected to be in place at the hospital.
Super Specialities of Radiotherapy, Oncology and Nuclear Medicine will be set up later with the operationalisation of the Medical College “as these involve setting up of specialised high-end equipment which requires intensive equipment specific civil work for technical and statutory compliances”, the government said in the reply filed before the court in August.
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