In 6 visits,5 hospital chiefs removed

As many as five medical superintendents have been shown the door for “dereliction of duty” in the past four months in Walia’s visits for surprise inspection of facilities at six hospitals. The Health Minister’s first strike came in January,when she visited Rao Tula Ram Hospital and issued orders to remove Dr Rajeev Kumar as the medical superintendent the same evening. Reason: the minister and her inspection team were dissatisfied with the level of cleanliness at the hospital. Such inspections by Walia and the Principal Secretary (Health) have become routine since then.

Principal Secretary (Health) J P Singh said the pattern is “here to stay”. “This is the only way to ensure that the quality of services improves — we want hospital authorities to be on their toes,” Singh reasoned. “Why should we inform them before visiting a hospital? We do not get the true picture (in that case). The minister might randomly visit any hospital,and so will I. We hope to find that the quality of medical services will be satisfactory.”

About Tuesday’s suspension of DDU Hospital chief Dr Prasad,Walia said,“We were not happy with the quality of services in the hospital — even basic standards were not adhered to.”

Walia said the inspection team found medical equipment non-functional at DDU Hospital. Besides,“there was no water in the hospital — neither drinking nor for cleaning. Drugs,too,were not available,” Walia said. “The unhygienic conditions in the hospital also increased incidents of cross-infections.”

Meanwhile,medical superintendent of Lok Nayak (LN) Hospital Dr Swaraj Batra will be replaced by the dean at the end of this month,Newsline has learnt. Sources in the Delhi Secretariat said orders to remove Dr Batra were already issued earlier. “But once they realised that her tenure will end in April,they decided to wait 15 more days,” a senior official in the Secretariat said.

Hospital dean Dr Arun Agarwal will take the additional charge.