NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday hit out at Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V.K Saxena over constitution of State Mental Health Authority (SMHA), saying he should explain why nominated members were not notified for Pharmacy Council in May.
Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said that if L-G is so concerned about the health of Delhi citizens he would have initiated action on the basis of the recommendations of the assembly committee report 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 had to go through hardships.
He said that poor patients had to bear out-of-pocket expenses for their basic healthcare needs. The health of some patients, who could not afford to make out-of-pocket expenses, deteriorated.
“If L- Sahab was so empathetic for the health and welfare of the poor in Delhi, he should have fixed responsibility of the officers responsible for abruptly closing the computerised OPD counter services in Delhi Govt hospitals which resulted in undue harassment of patients seeking free treatment in the hospitals, ” he said.
He said that patients and their attendants were made to stand in long queues for hours for OPD registration followed by consultation.
“L-G Sahab should also have taken action against the officers who had deliberately stopped the welfare works/ schemes of Delhi government for its citizens, especially the poor and needy. Sadly, L-G Sahab has taken no action forcing me to believe that he is patroniding those officers who are working against the welfare of Delhi citizens, ” Bhardwaj said.
“I would like to remind L-G Sahab that we had moved a file bearing CD No 112705631 titled ‘Nomination in Delhi Pharmacy Council under Section 19(b) of the Pharmacy Act, 1948’ for notifying the Pharmacy Council containing names of experts to be nominated by the Govt. on 16.05.2023. But the L-G office returned the file on 22.05.2023 citing that only elected members may be notified and the experts may not be nominated now, ” Bhardwaj said.
He said that the actual reason was that during this period, L-G was then bound by the aid and advice of elected government, therefore, he did not want to approve the notification of members recommended by the elected government.
“However, now since the GNCTD Amendment Act is in force, L-G Sahab wants to recommend members as per his discretion and that is the actual reason why LG saab is so unhappy about the experts not being nominated as members in the State Mental Health Authority, ” he added.
