During the Delhi elections, the BJP had promised the people of Delhi that it would not shut down any public welfare scheme of the AAP government. But the reality is exactly the opposite. The BJP government has quietly scrapped the Delhi Arogya Kosh Scheme, which was started by the Arvind Kejriwal-led government. Shockingly, no funds have been allocated for this scheme in the budget. As a result, Delhiites will no longer be able to get their surgeries or medical tests done at private hospitals and laboratories at the government’s expense.
Exposing this betrayal, AAP’s Delhi State President Saurabh Bharadwaj said that in hospitals like AIIMS Delhi and other government hospitals, people are forced to wait for months for surgeries and tests. To relieve citizens from this struggle, the AAP government had launched the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme. In its very first year, over 47,000 people benefited from it. But now, without providing any alternative arrangement, the BJP has discontinued this crucial scheme.
In a press conference, AAP’s Delhi State President, Saurabh Bharadwaj, raised serious concerns over the recent budget presented by the BJP-led Delhi government. He said, “Two days ago, the BJP government presented its budget. Now, several details of that budget are coming to light—some of which are extremely dangerous. These details are so alarming that they are bound to create chaos in Delhi.”
Referring to the CAG report and BJP’s focus on it, he added, “The recently released CAG report—something the BJP heavily promoted inside the House, mentioned several critical points about the Health Department. It stated that many government hospital operation theatres in Delhi are non-functional and the number of surgeries being performed is far less than what should ideally happen. The report also mentioned the reason behind this situation—it clearly stated that the required number of doctors and specialists have not been recruited.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj clarified that the responsibility of recruitment lies with the Centre. He said, “The recruitment of doctors and specialists in Delhi’s government hospitals is the responsibility of the Central government and the Lieutenant Governor. Then it means that they have purposely not recruited doctors and specialists in Delhi’s government hospitals, which has led to this crisis.”
Recalling an important decision taken by the AAP government, the former Delhi Minister stated, “Keeping this situation in mind—because ever since the AAP formed the government in Delhi, the power to recruit doctors and fill vacancies in any department has remained with the Centre—the Delhi government under Arvind Kejriwal took a crucial decision in 2017.”
“It was decided that if any patient comes to a government hospital in Delhi and we are unable to conduct their surgery within one month, then we will get that surgery done in a private hospital at the expense of the Delhi government,” he asserted.
Saurabh Bharadwaj pointed out that this issue is not limited to Delhi alone. He said, “News reports about the shortage of timely surgeries and long waiting periods keep appearing—not just about Delhi government hospitals, but also about Central government hospitals like AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, and even hospitals in Uttar Pradesh. There are frequent reports about how patients have to wait for months for an MRI or CT scan. Just a few days ago, there was a report about how, in Safdarjung Hospital, it takes several months to get an MRI or CT scan.”
He further added, “If you want to undergo elective surgery at AIIMS, the average waiting time is six to eight months. Similarly, according to a report from 15 December 2024, the waiting period for orthopaedic surgery at AIIMS has increased from six months to twelve months—that means one full year.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj explained the thought behind the Arvind Kejriwal government’s health policy. He said, “It was in this context that Arvind Kejriwal’s government decided that if a patient’s surgery cannot be done within one month in any Delhi government hospital, we will ensure their surgery is done in a private hospital, and the Delhi Government will bear the entire expense.”
He added, “Similarly, we decided that if a patient has to wait for months to get an MRI or CT scan in a government hospital, we will make sure that the patient can get these tests done in a private diagnostic centre, and the Delhi government will pay for it. This decision of the Arvind Kejriwal government was historic and revolutionary.”
Explaining the positive impact of the scheme, Saurabh Bharadwaj asserted, “Within just one year of launching this scheme under Arvind Kejriwal’s leadership, nearly 47,000 patients benefited. They either got their surgeries done in private hospitals or their tests conducted in private labs because timely treatment was not available in government hospitals. And over time, this number only kept increasing.”
Slamming the BJP government, he said, “Shockingly, in this year’s budget, this entire scheme has been scrapped. Without providing any alternative arrangement, they have shut it down. This is nothing short of playing with the lives of patients. Why? Have they recruited the required number of doctors and specialists in government hospitals? No, they haven’t.”
The former Minister continued, “Have they made the non-functional operation theatres operational? No, they haven’t. Have they repaired the CT scan and MRI machines that were out of order? No. Have they recruited the radiologists whose shortage was the reason why MRIs and CT scans couldn’t be done? No.”
He added, “They have done nothing, and yet, they have stopped a running scheme like Delhi Arogya Kosh, which was saving thousands of lives. They have pushed thousands of poor patients to the brink of death.”
Saurabh Bharadwaj demanded accountability from the BJP government. He said, “I want to ask the BJP government to tell us how many radiologists they have recruited since coming to power. How many surgeons have they appointed? How many specialists have they hired? How many new operation theatres have they made functional? If you haven’t done anything, then how did you decide to shut down the Delhi Arogya Kosh scheme, under which lakhs of people got surgeries done in private hospitals and crucial tests done in private labs?”
The AAP Delhi State President concluded by emphasising, “And not only did you stop this scheme, you did it secretly, without informing anyone. You made no announcement. You quietly stopped allocating funds for the scheme, without telling the public. This is a very serious matter. I believe this will harm thousands of downtrodden people in Delhi.”
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