Key cancer diagnostic services defunct at DSCI due to staff shortage

The continued emptiness has pressured sufferers to both incur excessive out-of-pocket bills or forgo important investigations, they stated.

Though the Union well being ministry accepted the pressing switch of a senior medical officer (SMO) from Safdarjung Hospital to DSCI in November 2025, companies stay non-functional as the 2 hospitals stay locked in administrative points over relieving the officer.

Medical doctors at DSCI stated the publish has been vacant for a number of years. “Since 2019, key companies, together with PET-CECT, have remained defunct because of the vacant publish,” a physician stated, requesting anonymity. One other physician, additionally asking to not be named, stated, “PET-CECT is a multifaceted and significant investigation required at varied phases of most cancers remedy, from preliminary analysis to radiation planning and response evaluation. Whereas the hospital has all the required tools, the companies stay non-functional because of the lack of a specialist.”

In line with DSCI’s official web site, round 400 to 500 sufferers go to its outpatient division every day, practically 100 obtain chemotherapy and supportive care, and about 200 to 250 sufferers bear radiation remedy every day. Hospital officers stated most sufferers belong to economically weaker sections. “Protecting this in thoughts, Delhi residents are referred below the Delhi Arogya Kosh (DAK) scheme to get investigations achieved at non-public services. Nevertheless, numerous sufferers nonetheless find yourself paying from their very own pockets,” an official stated.

The DAK scheme supplies monetary help to eligible Delhi residents with annual household incomes of as much as ₹3 lakh for remedy and high-end diagnostics at authorities or empanelled non-public hospitals, supplied they’ve lived in Delhi for at the least three years.

To make certain, PET-CECT scans, that are important for most cancers analysis and remedy planning, value between ₹10,000 and ₹20,000 at non-public hospitals, making them unaffordable for a lot of sufferers.

In November 2025, the Union well being ministry accepted DSCI’s request to fill the vacant publish and ordered the switch of an SMO from Safdarjung Hospital. “With the approval of the competent authority, an SMO, Safdarjung Hospital, has been transferred to the Authorities of NCT of Delhi in opposition to a vacant instructing sub-cadre publish of the Central Well being Providers for utilisation of his companies at Delhi State Most cancers Institute (DSCI), with speedy impact and till additional orders,” the ministry order acknowledged. Nevertheless, practically two months later, companies haven’t resumed.

Responding to the problem, the well being minister, Pankaj Singh stated, “We’re going to write to the union well being ministry once more to boost the problem, and ask them to supply an alternative choice to the particular person if the reliving of the involved physician from Safdurjung hospital is tough. We hope to resolve the problem on the earliest.”

In response, DSCI director Dr Vinod Kumar stated efforts are underway to fill the sanctioned publish. “At current, we’re utilizing the Delhi authorities’s DAK scheme to refer Delhi sufferers for PET-CECT scans at non-public services,” he stated.

Dr Kumar added, “After sustained efforts over the previous yr, we acquired approvals from each the Delhi authorities and the Union authorities for the speedy switch of a specialised physician. From our finish, we try to make sure the physician joins on the earliest. Nevertheless, there are inside points at Safdarjung Hospital, as a result of which the officer has not but been relieved.”

Regardless of a number of makes an attempt by PR, Safdarjung Hospital and the Delhi well being division didn’t reply to queries.