Days after visiting the night shelters near All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) highlightingntheir hardships, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha on Monday wrote a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi over the issue. He urged Nadda that government will use the upcoming Budget to substantially increase its investment in public healthcare and also demanded that the new AIIMS facilities across the country should be operationalised at the earliest.
In his letter to Nadda, Rahul Gandhi wrote, “I write to bring your attention to the distressing situation outside AIIMS, Delhi. During my recent visit, I was saddened to see hundreds of patients and their family members huddled on the footpath and in the subway in the bitter winter cold, with only thin blankets to protect them, without drinking water or sanitation facilities.” He said that many of these patients travel from across the country, spend their life savings, and wait for months on end for medical care at India’s premier medical institution.
“I am sure you will agree that no one should face such hardship, especially while already battling serious medical conditions,” the Congress leader said. He said that while AIIMS Delhi delivers excellent and affordable care, the condition of patients and their families shows that health-care is still out of reach for crores of Indians. “As public representatives, we must all work together to address these issues,” he said. Rahul Gandhi said, “I urge you to take immediate and timely steps to address the situation at AIIMS Delhi. The Government of India should work with the AIIMS leadership, the Government of Delhi and charitable organizations to provide heating, bedding, water and shelter to patients, and expand permanent facilities for accommodation.”
He also asserted that in addition, reducing the long wait times at each step of treatment, and providing patients information about wait times, would help reduce patients’ uncertainty. Crucially, the larger systemic issue is that AIIMS Delhi is overburdened because crores of people do not have access to affordable and high-quality healthcare where they live. “I urge you, as Health Minister, to recognize and address this systemic issue. As a first step, the new AIIMS facilities across the country should be operationalised at the earliest. In addition, the public healthcare infrastructure should be strengthened at all levels, from primary to tertiary, in partnership with state governments,” he said.
He also said that central healthcare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat should be reviewed to reduce patient out-of-pocket expenses as much as possible, by expanding eligibility, hospitals enrolled, and conditions covered. “The sharp rise in the costs of private healthcare also deserves detailed scrutiny,” he demanded. “I hope the Government will use the upcoming Budget to review its overall approach, and substantially increase its investment in public healthcare,” the Lok Sabha MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Bareli said.
In his letter to Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, he urged the city government to take immediate and timely steps this winter to provide heating, bedding, water and shelter to the patients seeking medical care from AIIMS Delhi. “More permanent solutions to accommodate patients by building and expanding permanent facilities should also be explored, in partnership with AIIMS and the Government of India, as well as charitable organizations,” he said. During his surprise visit outside AIIMS in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi interacted with the patients and their attendants. Many patients and people highlighted the issues faced by them during the chilling winter season.
