CM Gupta inaugurating the Medical Genetics department at Lok Nayak Hospital on Thursday.
| Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP
Delhi’s first Medical Genetics department and the fourth such unit in the country has been set up in the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) Hospital.
While inaugurating the department on Thursday, CM Rekha Gupta said, “There are lakhs of parents scrambling to save their children who are born with genetic disorders. They do not know where to go. This department will treat those children who are born with such disorders.”
Ms. Gupta also inaugurated a Lactation Management Unit (LMU), and Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing (NAT) Lab in the hospital.
Regarding the Lactation Management Unit (LMU), she said that the unit is designed to serve preterm, low-birth-weight, and critically ill new-borns. It will offer breastfeeding counselling, safe milk collection and storage, and hospital-grade breast pumps for mothers.
“Our goal is to ensure accessible, high-quality, and timely medical services for every citizen—regardless of age, background, or region. A healthy Delhi is the foundation of a developed Delhi. With this vision, three highly advanced health services have been launched, setting a new milestone in the city’s medical infrastructure,” Ms. Gupta said.
This is the first Delhi government hospital to have a NAT Lab, she said, adding that screening reports, which used to take 45 days, will be available within two days here. The NAT is a highly sensitive diagnostic method capable of detecting viral infections like HIV, Hepatitis B, and C at an early stage.
The CM also criticised the state of the healthcare infrastructure that the BJP government inherited from previous government, calling it “deeply concerning.” She added that while the World Health Organisation recommends a minimum of two beds per 1,000 population, not even one bed per 1,000 citizens is available in the Capital. She said that the Delhi government aims to ensure at least three beds per 1,000 people within the next five years.
Published – May 30, 2025 01:12 am IST