Anomaly in RTI replies smack of irregularities in govt hospital

A set of RTI replies by Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital depicts major irregularities in purchase and use of important equipments in the hospital.

While the purchase department showed that a number of post operative multi parameter monitors were bought for the burns unit, another reply from the unit showed that none of them have been fixed there.

NGO Patrons for Poor People Foundation had sought a reply from the hospital under the RTI Act about the purchase of post operative multi parameter monitors.

In a reply dated April 3, 2012, the hospital authorities said for the burns unit 17 monitors were bought in March 2011. Each cost Rs 4,79,000. The reply gave numbers for monitors and other machines for all other departments too.

However, in a reply to another RTI by the NGO, Dr Varun Kulshreshtha, head of the department of the burns unit, gave a different picture. The RTI reply dated July 21, 2012 said the ward has acquired no post operative multi parameter monitor in any year.

“The question is where have those monitors gone? The culture of the entire hospital is bad.

This is the beginning to expose irregularities in the hospital from our side,” said Syed Mohd Umar of PPPF.

The NGO has also written to the CM to look into the matter.

According to the RTI reply, burns department has one ward with 22 beds and there is no separate bed for post operative care.

The reply also mentioned that there is no separate post operative anaesthetic bed. This means no post operative monitor can be fixed on any of the beds.