Minister inspects LNJP Hospital
Delhi Health Minister Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh conducted a surprise inspection at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital on Friday to review the medical facilities and equipment. During the visit, he said all 80 ventilators at the hospital are operational and that 18 have been reserved for emergency cases.
“There is no need to panic. We have 80 ventilators and all are working. We also have reserved 18 ventilators for emergency patients. If any machine develops a fault, it is repaired within 24 hours,” said Singh.
The inspection comes after reports of non-functional ventilators at the hospital.
The minister reportedly visited the emergency and other wards and interacted with doctors, patients and attendants.
“The information being circulated about non-functional ventilators is misleading and factually incorrect. Creating unnecessary panic among citizens is not justified,” he said.
Dr Singh said 222 ventilators were available under Central procurement and could be allocated to any hospital as required. He said official reports from the past months corroborate the operational status of the equipment.
Speaking about the state of healthcare infrastructure, Dr Singh said the Delhi Government, under Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, was committed to improving the medical system.
He announced that by January 2026, all Delhi government hospitals will be equipped with MRI and CT scan facilities. “The procurement process for MRI machines has been under progress, and by January 2026, all Delhi Government hospitals will be equipped with MRI and CT scan facilities,” he said.
Last week, The Tribune reported that CT and MRI services have been halted at the facility due to a shortage of films in the Radiology Department. The Tribune was the first to report on LNJP medical infra gaps leading to ministerial inspection.
An internal letter dated September 30 from Dr Gaurav Shanker Pradhan, Director Professor and Head of Radiodiagnosis, stated that the department was “constrained to stop CT and MRI services immediately” because of the lack of CT/MRI films and the risk of system failure. The letter added that only emergency and trauma cases were being handled as a “humanitarian measure.”
Dr Singh said it would take time to restore the system after years of mismanagement. “It will take some time to bring everything in order after 11 years of mismanagement. Earlier, patients had to face shortages of medicines — even expired stock was found in several hospitals. We have ensured that no such malpractice continues and that Delhi hospitals are adequately supplied with essential drugs,” he said.
On the issue of cough syrup safety, Dr Singh said the Delhi Government was following all advisories issued by the Centre. “The Centre has taken cognisance of the matter. Delhi is following all Central advisories and will continue to act strictly as per the Government of India’s instructions,” he added.
Delhi