Delhi CM seeks files on hiring in hospitals from Anil Baijal

New Delhi: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday exhorted lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal to send him the file on empowering heads of government hospitals to hire contractual staff, alleging that officials had refused to show it to him citing the L-G’s orders.

The move comes over a month after the chief minister held a meeting with all medial superintendents to review the functioning of hospitals, where it was decided to empower them to hire contractual staff till vacant posts are filled up on a regular basis.

In the meeting, the chief secretary had been directed to seek the lieutenant-governor’s (L-G) approval in view of the “huge shortage” of staff in the Delhi government’s hospitals. “I understand that the proposal for the same has been sent to you (L-G) without showing it to the health minister, the finance minister or the chief minister,” Mr Kejriwal said in a letter to the L-G.

“In the proposal, I am told that the bureaucracy has imposed such conditions that as a result, no medial superintendent would be able to practically hire anyone,” he said.

The chief minister alleged that when asked for the file, officers said that the L-G had asked them not to show the file to any minister, including the chief minister.

“Without showing it (file) to any minister/CM and without seeking their approval, the file has been sent directly to the L-G,” he said.

Mr Kejriwal urged the L-G to send the file to him so that he and his ministers could offer their comments on the basis of their extensive visits to various hospitals and their interaction with several patients, doctors and hospitals. “The final decision would, of course, be taken by the L-G,” Mr Kejriwal said.

“Our main objective is the same i.e. to provide best quality healthcare to the people of Delhi. It is in best interests of Delhi that all of us work together and in a transparent manner,” he said.

On August 16, the meeting of medical superintendents with Mr Kejriwal had come close on the heels the tragic incident at a government-run hospital in Gorakhpur where several children, including infants, had died.