New Delhi, Apr 4 (PTI) Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj on Thursday urged Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to order an inquiry into the non-availability of medicines and consumables in city government hospitals, an official statement said.

In a letter to the LG, Bharadwaj wrote about the health secretary "misinforming and misleading" him on the issue.

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The minister underlined that the power to order inquiries and take action against erring officials lies with the LG. He requested Saxena to order a time-bound inquiry against the officials concerned for "misleading" him, the statement said.

Bharadwaj said that either the senior health ministry officers are unaware of the ground situation or are deliberately not resolving the issue.

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He said he directed the chief secretary and the health secretary multiple times to ensure supply of medicines and consumables in Delhi government hospitals.

In a post on X in Hindi, Bharadwaj said, "For the past few weeks, the health secretary and chief secretary have been repeatedly told that there is a shortage of free medicines and other supplies in government hospitals and that it should be addressed."

"But the officials are consistently providing incorrect information that everything, including medicines, is available," he said.

If the officers provide wrong information to the government, the problem will intensify. The poor will not get treatment, fall seriously ill and can also die, Bharadwaj said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)