Bharadwaj slams L-G for not punishing those who delayed docs' payments

Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Monday came out heavily against Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena saying that had the L-G been concerned about the health of Delhi people, he would have taken action against the officers who were "guilty of delaying payments to the doctors of Mohalla Clinics".

"If L-G Saab was so concerned about the health of Delhi citizens he would have initiated action on the basis of the recommendations of the Assembly Committee reports which had observed that his favourite officers were guilty of delaying payments to the doctors of Mohalla Clinics and also involved in the conspiracy to discontinue free laboratory tests therein as a result of which the poor patients undergoing treatment in Mohalla Clinics were badly inconvenienced," Bharadwaj said.

The Health Minister further said that if the L-G was so empathetic towards the health and welfare of the poor in Delhi, he would have fixed responsibility on the officers responsible for abruptly closing the computerised OPD counter services in Delhi government hospitals which, he alleged, resulted in undue harassment of patients seeking free treatment in the hospitals.

Bharadwaj alleged that since the GNCTD (Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi) Amendment Act is in force, the L-G wanted to recommend members as per his discretion and that is the actual reason why the L-G is so unhappy about the experts not being nominated as members in the State Mental Health Authority.