Delhi's mohalla clinics & hospitals in crisis: CAG audit flags doctor shortages, medicine gaps & unused assets

Delhi's mohalla clinics—once the poster child of accessible healthcare—are now under the scanner. A fresh audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has revealed some serious cracks in the system. From doctor shortages to missing medicines, the report as accessed by The Times of India paints a far less rosy picture than promised by the AAP government.

ET Online has not independently verified the report.

Here are the key highlights;

Mohalla Clinics: Missed targets & poor facilities

• Shortfall in clinics: Target of 1,000 mohalla clinics by 2017, but only 523 set up by 2023.
• Non-operational clinics: 41 out of 218 mohalla clinics were closed for 15 days to 23 months due to doctor shortages.

Basic facility gaps

• 10 clinics lacked drinking water, 21 had no toilets, and 12 were not disabled-friendly.
• 31 clinics had insufficient space for medicine storage.
• Equipment shortages: Clinics lacked essential medical tools like pulse oximeters, glucometers, thermometers, BP apparatus.
• Medicine stock issues: In 39 of 81 clinics checked, less than 75% of essential medicines were available.
• Quick consultations: 70% of patients received less than one minute of consultation between Oct 2022 and March 2023.

Hospital Infrastructure Crisis

Lack of critical services

• 50% of hospitals lacked ICUs, and 60% had no blood banks.
• 8 hospitals had no oxygen systems, 15 lacked mortuaries, and 12 had no ambulances.

Severe staffing shortages

• 74% doctor vacancies in super-specialty hospitals.
• 96% nursing staff vacancies in top hospitals.
• 21% nurse & 38% paramedic vacancies across the board.

Non-utilization of resources

• Only 1,357 hospital beds added out of the 32,000 planned (4.2%).
• 15 land plots worth Rs 6.5 crore remained unused for 6-15 years.

Long waiting times for patients

• Major surgeries at Lok Nayak Hospital: 2-3 months; burn & plastic surgeries: 6-8 months.
• Pediatric surgeries at Chacha Nehru Bal Chikatsalaya: 12-month waiting period.

Primary healthcare dispensaries

Staff Shortages

• 23% shortage of doctors, 16% shortage of nursing staff, and 37% shortage of paramedics.
• Disproportionate deployment of doctors within districts.

Mobile & school health schemes falling short

• Severe staffing gaps: Shortages of doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in mobile and school health schemes.
• Medicine availability: 76 out of 100 essential drugs missing from central stores.
• Limited coverage: In 2016-17, only 2.8-3.5 lakh students (out of 17 lakh) were covered under school health programs.
• Polyclinic shortfall: Only 28 out of 150 planned polyclinics were functional by 2018-19.