Cash crunch set to cripple services at Safdarjung Hospital
Owing to the hospital's financial condition, it is finding it difficult to manage the expenditure even for the month of February and March. Highly-placed sources in the hospital told Mail Today that the hospital is left with no money for the last two months of the financial year.
Acute financial crisis is likely to cripple key services at Delhi's premier Safdarjung Hospital. Owing to the hospital's financial condition, it is finding it difficult to manage the expenditure even for the month of February and March. Though doctors said the OPD services could continue, but healthcare amenities, including medicine, free diagnosis and patient care will be affected.
Highly-placed sources in the hospital told Mail Today that the hospital is left with no money for the last two months of the financial year. The hospital was given a planned budget of Rs 220 crore by the Union Ministry of Health in the month of November, after which the administration had asked for a revised estimated budget of Rs 30-40 crore.
"We have received Rs 4 crore against the revised estimated budget. There is acute shortage of funds in the hospital for the next two months. This will affect the overall functioning of the hospital. We are at the bottom of the barrel," a senior health official requesting anonymity told Mail Today. "The hospital is in a bad shape. Most of the purchases are put on hold," added another senior officer from the hospital.
The central government's hospital attends to 8,000-10,000 patients on a daily basis. Apart from Delhi residents, the hospital also caters to a large number of patients from other Indian states. The hospital has a full-fledged burn injury department which draws a large number of patients. Sources told MAIL TODAY the hospital's annual planned budget is around Rs 300 crore while the unplanned budget is around Rs 250 crore.
The hospital's administration has informed the ministry about the crisis and is hoping to receive some relief in the coming week. "The issue has been conveyed to the ministry and we are hopeful that some move will soon be taken in this regard," a senior health official said. Sources also said that demand has been placed for increased budget in the next financial year.
When Mail Today contacted the Union Ministry of Health, it denied reports about financial crunch. "There is no shortage of funds at the hospital," director general of health services (DGHS) Jagdish Prasad told Mail Today.
This is not the first time the hospital is in the news for the wrong reasons. It was recently facing a shortage of C-arm machines in the emergency department, due to which patients were referred to other hospitals.
Last year in November, the hospital's radiotherapy department was shut down as the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board issued a notice to the hospital. "The hospital has been facing problems for too long now," a senior health official told Mail Today.
The Capital is facing a health crisis with around 5,000 resident doctors, 2,000 consultants, 13,200 nurses and other paramedical staff of MCD hospitals on strike since Monday. All MCD-run hospitals - Girdhari Lal Maternity Hospital at Ajmeri Gate, Kasturba Hospital at Daryaganj, Swami Dayanand Hospital at Dilshad Garden, Hindu Rao Hospital at Malka Ganj, Balak Ram Hospital located at Timarpur, Rajan Babu Institute of Pulmonary Medicine & Tuberculosis at Mukherjee Nagar and Maharishi Valmiki Infectious Diseases Hospital at Pooth Khurd - and over 184 dispensaries run by the city's civic body have closed down their services following the strike.
ALSO READ
Government hospital staff to donate wheelchairs worth Rs 23,000