CM Rekha Gupta’s Healthcare Push: 6,800+ New ICU Beds, 42,000 Jobs for Delhi

Calling it a major transformation in Delhi’s healthcare, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, while inaugurating the newly opened Yatharth Multi-Specialty Hospital in Model Town, announced that her government plans to make Delhi India’s premier medical hub.

While sharing details during her speech on Monday, she said the vision is to build a system where not just people from across India—but even from abroad—can trust Delhi for world-class medical facilities. A key focus, she added, would be on affordability and accessibility, ensuring that no patient leaves the capital disappointed.

From Delayed ICU Projects to Super-Specialty Hubs

To bring this vision to life, the government plans to repurpose seven previously incomplete ICU hospital projects into fully equipped Super-Specialty ICU hospitals. Each of these facilities will cater to specific life-threatening conditions such as cancer, kidney failure, organ transplants, and high-risk pregnancies.

These seven hospitals—located in Sarita Vihar, Dilshad Garden, Raghubir Nagar, Shalimar Bagh, Kirari, Geeta Colony, and Sultanpuri—were initially launched by the previous government during the COVID-19 pandemic to address ICU bed shortages. However, most of them remained incomplete due to funding gaps, planning delays, and cost escalations.

Blaming the previous administration for the poor planning, CM Gupta said the underdevelopment of Delhi’s healthcare was a direct result of corruption and mismanagement. To overcome these setbacks, her government now plans to adopt a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to speed up construction and operations.

Expanding Infrastructure and Medical Workforce

During her address, the CM highlighted the alarming state of medical infrastructure during the pandemic, noting that Delhi had just 0.42 hospital beds per 1,000 residents. Of the 38 government hospitals, there were only six MRI machines and 12 CT scan machines—numbers far below what a city of Delhi’s scale demands.

She assured that the government is also actively working to address staff and equipment shortages, including hiring more doctors and ensuring timely availability of medical equipment and medicines.

Once completed, the seven upgraded hospitals are expected to add 6,836 ICU beds and create around 42,000 new jobs for doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other support staff, providing a much-needed boost to the capital’s strained health system.

Strengthening Access Through Schemes

To extend affordable healthcare to underprivileged patients, the newly inaugurated hospital will offer services under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The same is planned for all upcoming hospitals under the new healthcare roadmap.

In addition, the government has also proposed the creation of 15 Aarogya Mandirs (health temples) in every assembly constituency to strengthen primary and secondary healthcare services at the local level.

A Step Towards Better Healthcare

While challenges like infrastructure gaps, equipment shortages, and staffing issues still remain, the government’s latest push shows intent to address them. With plans to bring in private partnerships and expand access through schemes like Ayushman Bharat, Delhi’s healthcare system may finally see much-needed improvements. How these promises turn into results will be seen in the coming months.

(Rh/Pooja Bansal/MSM/)