Delhi Lieutenant Governor suspends health official after hospital fire dispute

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (file).

New Delhi:

A new chapter was written on Wednesday in the intractable and bitter dispute between Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena and the ruling AAP after the former suspended a senior member of Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj’s office and demanded disciplinary action against him. Dr RN Das, a special officer, was summoned for alleged “misconduct relating to an unauthorised and illegal” nursing home.

Mr Saxena alleges that Dr Das – when he was the Medical Superintendent of the Nursing Homes Department of the City of Delhi – kept the Jyoti Clinic and Nursing Home running by delaying the renewal of the license after 2014.

The LG – which has already had several heated arguments with the ruling AAP and Prime Minister Arvind Kejriwal – referred to a civil suit against the nursing home, according to which it continues to operate despite a license granted in 2018.

Mr Saxena claimed that the nursing home management had applied for a new licence – these are only issued in three-year blocks – but Dr Das had not yet approved it. “The unlicensed operation of the nursing home is attributed to the collaboration of the above-mentioned official with the nursing home management…”

“An investigation was conducted in this matter which concluded that Dr RN Das, the then medical superintendent (of the nursing home)… was solely responsible for the renewal of registration. It is alleged that Dr Das… provided unlawful protection by keeping the licence unnecessarily in abeyance,” he said.

An earlier initial anti-corruption investigation found there was sufficient evidence to justify a full investigation.

Dr Das was posted at Cell Nursing Home from 2011 to 2015 and from 2018 to 2022. “Given the long tenure of Dr RN Das… the officer is clearly responsible for the alleged misconduct,” Dr Saxena alleged.

The action against Dr Das (and by extension the Delhi Health Department) comes after a horrific fire broke out at a private children’s hospital on Saturday in a dispute between LG and AAP.

READ | Delhi LG attacks Kejriwal, orders corruption probe over hospital fire

The fire killed seven young children, sparking a massive uproar as the rival BJP seeks to score political points with voters ahead of the final phase of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

READ | Oxygen cylinders began to explode: When a fire in Delhi hospital killed seven people

The Delhi High Court seemed to draw a link between the hospital fire and the alleged non-issuance of licenses, stating: “In this case too, Dr Das had allowed the registration of the children’s hospital without bothering to check pending litigation and compliance with statutory provisions, including fire safety.”

“… incidents indicate that Dr RN Das has clearly abused his power,” Dr Saxena said.

On Tuesday, the Governor-General launched a frontal attack, saying he was “disappointed” that since the harrowing incident, Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Mr Bhardwaj had “only paid lip service and made important statements (to the press) … and evaded responsibility”.

He said he was compelled to launch an anti-corruption inquiry “in the public interest” to uncover possible lapses in the registration and regulation of private nursing homes in Delhi.

There has been no response from the AAP so far, but Mr Bhardwaj has ordered a mandatory check of safety equipment in city hospitals and the Delhi government has initiated a magistrate-level inquiry.

READ | After the hospital tragedy in Delhi, Minister issues an important directive on fire safety

In recent weeks, Mr Saxena has also waded into the Swati Maliwal controversy, supporting Ms Maliwal, who has accused Mr Kejriwal’s assistant of assault, and saying he was “deeply dismayed”.

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