Satyendar Jain asks BJP led MCD to handover hospitals to Delhi govt

New Delhi [India], October 13 (ANI): Delhi's Health and Urban Development Minister Satyendar Jain on Tuesday said the government has written a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) asking them to handover hospitals to Delhi government as MCD is "not able to properly run and manage their hospitals".

Jain in a tweet shared the letter written by the Delhi government to commissioners of the MCD.

"It is evident that MCD is not able to properly run and manage their hospitals. We have written a letter to BJP led MCD to handover hospitals to Delhi govt, to avoid any further inconveniences to the medical, para-medical staff, and the patients coming to the hospital," he said in a tweet.

The letter stated that serious concerns have been raised regarding non-payment of salaries/wages/other dues to the medical, paramedical and other staff working in Hindu Rao Hospital, Kasturba Hospital and other hospitals of MCD.

"It has been mentioned that inability to pay the salaries and other dues in time has led to a situation where proper treatment to Covid patients is not being given and Covid patients are forced to shift from Hindu Rao Hospital to Lok Nayak Hospital of GNCTD for a continuum of medical care. It has been observed that the delayed payment of salaries and wages has resulted in anguish among doctors, para-medical and other staff and this has also caused inconvenience to patients and citizens of Delhi during the on-going Covid pandemic and also in the treatment of non-Covid ailments," the letter stated.

"In this regard, it is worth mentioning that under the extant recommendations of the 5th Delhi Finance Commission, the first and second installments of Basic Tax Assignment (BTA) by UD Department and Grant-in-aid (GIA) by Health and Education Departments have already been released to the DMCs (Delhi Municipal Corporations) by Delhi Government for Financial Year 2020-21. Apart from these released amounts. DMCs are having their own sources of revenue generation and thus have to ensure sufficient provisioning of funds to pay the salaries for the front line health workers in DMC hospitals during Covid Pandemic," it said.

The DMCs should expeditiously clear all payments of salaries,wages,other dues to doctors, part-medical and other staff and submit a report of the same, the letter stated.

"If DMCs are unable to pay salaries and facing difficulties in running their hospitals they may consider handing over their hospitals to Delhi government to avoid any further anguish to medical, pars medical and other staff and inconveniences to patients, relatives,citizens of Delhi during ongoing COVID pandemic," it said. 

According to health department of Delhi government, the national capital reported 1,849 new COVID-19 cases, 40 deaths and 2,975 recoveries/discharges/migrations on Monday. The total tally went up to to 311,188, including 5,809 deaths and 284,844 recoveries/discharges/migrations. Active cases stand at 20,535. (ANI)