BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: Health, the most important human development index, took a back seat in the Mr Arvind Kejriwal-led government's 50-month rule in Delhi despite "arrogant" claims by the ruling party, senior Delhi BJP leader Vijender Gupta alleged on April 13, 2019.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose party is running a campaign for full statehood of Delhi, should tell the people why it "failed" to work in this area despite winning the 2015 Assembly polls with a huge majority, Gupta told DTMT.

"During more than 50 months of AAP rule, the national capital has suffered a lot in the most important human development sector of health. The boastful claims made by Mr Kejriwal and his ministers are false propaganda," he said.

"Where are the promised 30,000 new hospital beds? Why not a single foundation stone was laid on vacant plots for hospitals? he questioned.

"The Kejriwal government claims to have 30,000 new hospital beds without any survey of potential patients. It adds only 213 new beds in different hospitals during its 50 months rule in Delhi", Gupta said.

According to a Delhi Health Services data of February 2019, there were a total of 10,059 beds in the 33 Delhi Government-run hospitals. Out of these hospitals, only 348 beds have functional ventilators, which makes it just 3.45% against the minimum requirement of 10% as per WHO norms, said Mr Gupta.