Major Delays and Financial Mismanagement Under AAP Government
New Delhi: A recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report has flagged financial mismanagement and significant delays in three major hospital projects in Delhi, resulting in a budget overrun of Rs 382 crore.
The Indira Gandhi Hospital, Burari Hospital, and Maulana Azad Dental Hospital all faced years of delays, causing their costs to skyrocket:
- Indira Gandhi Hospital exceeded its original budget by Rs 314 crore (delayed by 5 years).
- Burari Hospital went Rs 41 crore over budget (delayed by 6 years).
- Maulana Azad Dental Hospital (Phase II Extension) had a Rs 26 crore budget overrun (delayed by 3 years).
Unutilized Funds for COVID-19 Response
The report also criticized the underutilization of central funds meant for COVID-19 relief:
- 70% of funds meant for medical supplies (PPE kits, masks, and drugs) were not utilized.
- Out of Rs 787.91 crore released by the Centre for COVID-19 relief, only Rs 582.84 crore was spent.
- Rs 83.14 crore of Rs 119.85 crore allocated for medical supplies remained unused, despite an urgent need during the pandemic.
- Underpayment and low deployment of healthcare staff were also flagged, with Rs 30.52 crore of Rs 52 crore for human resources left unspent.
Hospital Infrastructure Expansion Falls Short
Despite Delhi government’s announcements between 2017 and 2021 promising 32,000 additional hospital beds, only 1,357 beds (4.24%) were added.
The CAG report calls for urgent accountability and corrective measures to prevent further mismanagement of public health infrastructure.
