Year on, health minister reaffirms same old promises

Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh said on Friday that the civil hospital in Ludhiana would be developed into a model facility in the coming days, with all facilities available on the premises. He added that the intensive care unit (ICU), which is locked due to staff shortage, will be operational soon, eliminating the need to refer patients to hospitals in other cities.

He made the announcement during a visit to the civil hospital.

He, however, seemed to reading from an old script as he made the same promises during his visit to the hospital in August last year. According to people aware of the developments, not much progress has been made in meeting these promises over the year.

The minister affirmed that these works will be completed in six months.

Hospital authorities have regularly pointed to the shortage of staff and material resources as the main reason behind untoward incidents. In June, two patients were found sharing a bed. Not long before that, a patient was seen lying in the same bed as a dead body in April.

Although officials said at the time that all possible measures would be taken to remedy the situation, the officials at the hospital say that the situation remains far from ideal.

The hospital authorities had claimed that there weren’t enough beds and the patient load was too high for the doctors to look after each patient. Standard operation procedures (SOPs) were issued for the emergency wards, but they could not be implemented due to a staff crunch.

Dr Balbir said the department was in the process of recruiting 2,000 doctors and around 500 doctors will be recruited in the coming months. He did not specify a timeline for the recruitment process and avoided a question regarding it.

‘Cadre review underway’

The minister claimed that a cadre review was underway to strike parity between the resources and patient load. The last cadre review at the hospital was done in 1991 and many employees at the facility have repeatedly pointed out the need for a fresh review.

He said a patient facilitation centre would come up at the hospital, which he claimed was a new concept in the country.

Questions differential treatment for Kejriwal, BSY

Dr Balbir lashed out at the Centre for using “different yardsticks” in treating Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa, who headed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Referring to the Karnataka high court’s remarks on an unbailable arrest warrant issued against the former Karnataka CM, he said, “If a former CM could be given such treatment, why was sitting CM being treated with another yardstick.”

“While restraining Yediyurappa’s arrest the High Court remarked that he was not any ‘Tom, Dick, and Harry, but a former CM’, why was then Arvind Kejriwal, a sitting CM being meted out different treatment,” he added.

He was referring to a June 15 Karnataka HC order restraining the CID from arresting Yediyurappa, who has been chargesheeted in a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal is in jail in connection with an alleged excise policy scam. He was formally arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CID) on June 26.

Hits out at centre over NEET row

The health minister also took potshots at Centre over the NEET row.

“Lakhs of aspirants, who had dedicated a complete year to the preparation for the medical test, and their families were betrayed,” he said. The medical exam was cancelled over after “irregularities” were found, opening a Pandora’s box.

‘Centre not releasing our funds’

Singh claimed that the Centre had held funds over ₹1,200 crore under the National Health Mission.

“They have held our funds for quite some time now. It increases every year. It is somewhere over ₹1,200 crore rupees,” he said.

Responding to a question on Akali Dal’s decision to support the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the upcoming Jalandhar bypolls, the minister said the party’s leadership was taking it towards its end.