Alleged Misuse Of Funds By Delhi Govt Hospitals: Delhi HC Asks Petitioners To Approach CVC [Read Petition]

The Delhi High Court on Friday asked two advocates to place before the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) their petition against alleged misappropriation/misuse of funds to the tune of Rs 21,75,03,000 sanctioned to eight Delhi government hospitals for remodelling/upgrade.

The court asked advocates Sagar Sharma and Sparsh Goyal, petitioners in the case, to place their grievance before the CVC as they sought a CBI probe into the alleged misappropriation.

In their plea, the petitioners accused the eight hospitals—Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and Rajiv Gandhi Superspeciality Hospital—of not putting to proper use the funds sanctioned by the Delhi government way back in the year 2016.

"…patients are suffering due to non-availability of proper medical facilities and the respondents misused the sanctioned funds raised for proper medical facilities," said their plea.

They alleged that respondent No. 2 to No. 11 (The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), The Public Works Department (PWD) and the eight hospitals) had misappropriated the sanctioned funds of the taxpayers to the tune of Rs 21,75,03,000 which was sanctioned for the engagement of consultants for remodeling, upgrade and expansion work in the above-said respondent-hospitals by which patients can get better treatment for the Health Services and good medical facilities in respondent-hospitals run by the Government of NCT of Delhi.

It said the fund was passed from the DGHS to PWD for engaging consultants and undertaking the work which was necessitated as the hospitals lack proper infrastructure and even diagnostic laboratories, forcing patients to spend huge amounts on private healthcare.

The petitioners say it was on their visit to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for a health concern that they realised that the hospital was lacking in many basic medical facilities.

They then made several inquiries and filed RTI applications to learn that "an amount of Rs 9,27,63000 has been sanctioned to respondent no.4,7,9 (Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Bhagwan Mahavir Hospital, and Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital) in year 2016 but RTI reply by respondent no.4 dated 04.04.2018 reveals that the work has not yet started".

"Similarly, An amount of Rs.2,57,40,000 has been sanctioned to respondent no.5 (Lok Nayak Hospital) but RTI reply by the hospital said no amount has been allotted to it," it said.

Similar was the case with other hospitals.

The petitioners had sent a written complaint to the Health Secretary of Delhi government in this regard but received no response. 

Read the Petition Here