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Journalism of Courage
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal Friday approved the Delhi Cabinet’s decision of the health department providing free treatment to medico-legal victims of road accidents, acid attack and burn injuries, and said it was “a step in the right direction”. He also approved the department’s proposal for outsourcing diagnostic (non-radiological) services to provide free laboratory services at mohalla clinics, polyclinics and mobile health clinics, and agreed with the amendments to the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme to provide “financial assistance for specified high-end diagnostic (radiological) tests/ surgeries”.
The L-G said an income ceiling must be retained “so that the resources of the government are used to help the poor and the needy, and the poor are not crowded out by the well-to-do”. However, he said the focus of the schemes “appeared” to be on outsourcing and “there is no mention in the proposal about any action plan to strengthen the diagnostic infrastructure in government institutions”.
“For a robust healthcare system, the government institutions also need to be strengthened as the healthcare system cannot be left entirely in the hands of private sector,” said Baijal, adding that “complete transparency and relevant procedures/guidelines should be followed strictly while empanelling private hospitals”.
“A mechanism must be evolved to ensure unnecessary tests are not prescribed in collusion with private medical centres. The quality of tests and private institutions empanelled for these should also be ensured through proper penalties in case of malpractices/poor quality,” said Baijal.
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