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40% of posts lie vacant in MCD health centres

Mass outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya have infected many Delhiites but the Capital remains ill-prepared, with hundreds of health staff posts remaining vacant in all MCD-run hospitals for the last few years

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Various posts in the health department across the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations have been lying vacant, even as the city was hit by the worst outbreak of mosquito-borne fever over the last two years
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Twenty-five-year-old Anita still remembers an ordeal from last year. She spent four days on a bench of the municipal primary health centre in southwest Delhi's Uttam Nagar before she was informed that her seven-year-old daughter's high fever was actually dengue.

For the first two days, the rush of patients was so much that she had to return home with a pill to control the fever. She was lucky to get an appointment with the doctor, who suggested a blood test. Finally, the test report revealed that her daughter tested positive for dengue following which she was admitted.

Anita's is not the only case. This is the story of hundreds of patients across the national capital, as the three corporations have failed to handle the fever crisis owing to a shortage of staff and basic amenities. Almost 40 per cent of posts in the health department across the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations — north, south and east — have been lying vacant, even as the city was hit by the worst outbreak of mosquito-borne diseases over the last two years. It is the primary duty of the civic body to keep the city clean and free of vector-borne diseases.

A senior doctor requesting anonymity said, "We have been reeling under a staff crunch across all posts including doctors, nurses and technicians. During the chikungunya outbreak in 2016, the staff worked double shifts, it was impossible for them to attend to all patients. Even the recruitment process has been delayed for months."

Total of the sanctioned strength of 1,178 doctors posts, the North Corporation, which runs six of the city's major hospitals including Hindu Rao and Kasturba Gandhi, has 491 vacant seats. It also runs a number of primary health centres, dispensaries, maternity homes and chest clinics. Not just doctors, even the nursing, paramedic and lab staff are reeling under a staff crunch with 588 of the 1,911 posts vacant.

Hindu Rao hospital gets 3.5 lakh patients per year. Similarly, the East and South corporations respectively have 93 of the 278 and 134 of the 412 posts for doctors lying vacant. Both corporations have major hospitals and a number of primary health centres under them.

Pravesh Wahi, BJP chairman of the standing committee, North Corporation said, "The corporation has been struggling with insufficient funds because of which the facilities that need a makeover could not begin construction. We could not even pay the staff their salaries. It is difficult to retain people under such circumstances."

However, political leaders blame the shortage of staff on the Delhi government, as they conduct recruitment of staff.

CAG pulls up civic bodies for outbreak

Pointing out irregularities in the functioning of the BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi, the CAG in its annual report pulled up the civic bodies for not taking effective measures at the time of dengue, even after having adequate funds. The CAG's performance audit report tabled in the Delhi Assembly recently said the municipal bodies spent Rs 1,09.43 crore, between 2013-15, on domestic breeding-checkers without any supervision of the work done. Several institutional gaps were highlighted in the report including lack of an effective surveillance mechanism. Only 289 of 967 reporting units (30 per cent) reported dengue data to the State Surveillance Unit, thereby undermining its objective, the report stated.

L-G meets officials

The L-G held a meeting with representatives of the three corporations and officials of the health department. He emphasised the need to educate the community and involve the public at large to contain dengue, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases. He also asked stakeholders to share their plans for coordinated action.

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