At 4.30 am, as the dim yellow of the street lights struggle against Delhi’s cold winter morning fog, there is already a long, winding line outside the capital’s Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), people queuing for medicine or treatment. Suddenly, there is a commotion as a vehicle drives by, and Swati Maliwal pulls up with her team of “volunteers”.
The Rajya Sabha MP Ending her long association with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal in an acrimonious and very public farewell, she is on one of her rounds to “verify the truth” behind the AAP government’s claims of providing “world-class healthcare facilities”. “In Delhi.
When she was chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Maliwal practiced similar spot checks, which kept her in the news. Now, the MP who filed a “shock” case against Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar (he was released on bail after more than 100 days in jail) has shifted his modus operandi against the government that appointed him to that post.
At the mental health facility, Maliwal first walks across the premises to the waiting people covered in tin sheds, carefully walking past those who step on blankets on the floor. “What problems are you facing? How long have you been waiting to get your medicine here? Are you getting all your prescribed medicine?” She asks Fehmida, who has come here from Bulandshahr, to collect medicine for her two injured sons.
Fehmida replies that she has been in line “since yesterday morning”. “They provide medicine for my older son, but for my younger one, I have to go to the pharmacy.”
A worried Maliwal commented: “You are only waiting to take medicine since yesterday! It is very cold … you might catch a fever.”
Two volunteers accompanying Maliwal keep their mobile phones with him in training, recording his every conversation.
Maliwal then goes from Subhanpur, Baghpat to Babli. “I have been here since 5 pm yesterday. For the past eight years, every month, we spend a night here in line. If we come in the afternoon, the medicines are only available in limited quantities, but after queuing at night, we can get the required quantity (tokens to collect the medicines are distributed daily on a first-come-first-served basis), says Babli, adding that the medicine has given “huge relief”. .
Maliwal comments on the lack of facilities for those queuing up at night. “It must be a real struggle during the winter, especially for those who are sick.”
Amrita Singh of Muzaffarnagar, who is waiting to get her depression medication, says: “There are shelters outside, but if we stay there, we will miss out on getting a token.”
70-year-old Shakuntala Devi from Seemapuri, who has been coming to the hospital for her son’s treatment for about 15 years, says, ‘Even if it’s winter or raining, we stay here at night, but they give only half of the prescribed medicine. .”
On cue, one starts repeatedly. As Maliwal proceeds to inspect the shelters, which are empty, people prefer to queue outside the IHBAS facility, she says “the situation is critical”. “The test is written but not being conducted. People have complained about lack of drinking water, inadequate and dirty washrooms.”
There are some who have positive things to say about IHBAS, such as Nasima, who points out: “If there was no support, why would so many people come here? Don’t criticize so much.”
The next stop in Maliwal is the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, which is run by the Delhi government. Kulsum, who has breathing problems, says that the doctor gave her only paracetamol. “No other medicine is available. They said the medicine did not come.
She says patients who need CT scans or ultrasounds who come from long distances sometimes have to wait a month.
Mohammad Danish also complains about medicine. “These are provided, but not a complete prescription.”
Speaking to The Indian Express after her visit, Maliwal says the situation at IHBAS is sad as mental health is a huge taboo in the country anyway. “Patients should be respected. It is a shame to wait all night. Also, despite the government’s claims of world-class infrastructure, people are not getting medicine.”
IHBAS director Rajinder Dhamija says “more than 90% of the drugs are available now” and they are also made available to other hospitals. About Maliwal’s other claims, Dhamija says: “Eighteen months ago, IHBAS built a shed inside the facility to protect people from harsh weather… No problem. All facilities including toilets and drinking water are being provided, the Chief Minister himself monitors the distribution of medicine.”
Maliwal said that since two-three months, she has been visiting different areas of the national capital and posting videos of residents’ complaints on social media. These events, among other rounds, include a visit to Maliwal’s Palam, where residents tell him that they have received huge water bills “despite the lack of water supply”. Govindpuri, and its “broken streets”; and Kirari, with “year-round submersion”.
Talking about these visits, Maliwal says: “Delhi government needs to address the condition of roads, street lights, buses and shelters. The situation is dire… The government says it will address these problems when it comes back to power, but why not now? If I talk to people about their grievances I can come, why don’t they come?”
AAP, which has accused Maliwal of acting at the behest of the BJP ever since he registered the FIR against Bibhav Kumar, says his spot visits are also part of the BJP’s agenda. When asked about this, she says: “I am an MP from Delhi, and it is my duty to be on the ground and help people. Are the people sitting outside these hospitals also brought by the BJP?
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