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Journalism of Courage
At 4.30 am, as the dim yellow of streetlights struggles against the fog of Delhi’s cold winter morning, there is a long, winding line already outside the Capital’s Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), people queued up for medicines or treatment. Suddenly, there is a fluster as a vehicle drives up, and alights Swati Maliwal with her team of “volunteers”.
When she was the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, Maliwal had made a practice of similar on-the-spot checks, which kept her constantly in the news. Now, the MP who has lodged a case against Kejriwal’s aide Bibhav Kumar of “assault” (he was released on bail after more than 100 days behind bars), has turned her modus operandus against the government that appointed her to that post.
At the mental health facility, Maliwal first walks up to people sitting in a waiting area covered with a tin shed on the premises, making her way carefully past those stepping on blankets on the floor. “What issues are you facing? How long have you been waiting here to receive medicines? Are you getting all the prescribed medicines?” she asks Fehmida, who is here from Bulandshahr to collect medicines for her two sons who suffer from seizures.
Fehmida replies that she has been in the line “since yesterday morning”. “They provide medicines for my elder son, but for my younger one, I have to go to a pharmacy.”
A concerned Maliwal remarks: “You have been waiting since yesterday just to collect medicines! It’s so cold… you may catch a fever.”
Two volunteers accompanying Maliwal keep their mobiles trained on her, recording her every interaction.
Maliwal next walks up to Babli, from Subhanpur, Baghpat. “I have been here since 5 pm yesterday. For the past eight years, every month, we spend a night here in line. If we come in the daytime, the medicines are available only in limited quantities, but after queuing up at night, we can ensure we get the needed quantity (tokens to collect medicines are distributed daily on first-come-first-serve basis),” says Babli, adding that the medicines have provided “great relief”.
Maliwal comments at the lack of facilities for those queuing up at night. “It must be a real struggle during winters, especially for those who are unwell.”
Amrita Singh from Muzaffarnagar, who is waiting to get medicines for depression, says: “There are shelters outside, but if we stay there, we will miss getting a token.”
Shakuntala Devi, a 70-year-old from Seemapuri, who has been visiting the facility for her son’s treatment for around 15 years, says: “We sit here at night, whether it’s cold or raining, yet they give only half the prescribed medicines.”
On cue, a drizzle starts. As Maliwal proceeds to inspect the shelters, which are empty, with the people preferring to line up outside the IHBAS facility, she says “the situation is dire”. “Tests have been written but are not being conducted. People have complained about the lack of drinking water, insufficient and dirty washrooms.”
There are a few who have positive things to say about the IHBAS, such as Naseema, who points out: “If no help was being received, why would so many people come here? One should not criticise so much.”
Maliwal’s next stop is Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital, also run by the Delhi government. Kulsoom, who has breathing problems, tells her the doctors have only been giving paracetamol. “No other medicines are available. They have said no medicines are being supplied.”
She says patients needing CT scan or ultrasound who come from long distances sometimes end up waiting a month.
Mohammad Danish also has a complaint about the medicines. “These are being provided, but not the full prescription.”
Speaking to The Indian Express after her visit, Maliwal says the situation at the IHBAS is sadder as mental health is anyway a big taboo in the country. “There should be dignity for those who are ill. Making them wait all night is shameful. Also, despite the government’s claims of world-class infrastructure, people are not receiving medicines.”
IHBAS Director Rajinder Dhamija says “more than 90% of the medicines are currently available” and these are also provided to other hospitals. About Maliwal’s other claims, Dhamija says: “Eighteen months ago, the IHBAS made a shed within the facility to protect people from harsh weather… there are no issues. All facilities including washrooms and drinking water are being provided, the Chief Minister personally monitors the medicine distribution.”
Maliwal talks about how for two-three months now, she has been visiting various localities in the national capital, and posting videos of residents’ complaints on her social media platforms. These show, among other rounds, Maliwal’s visit to Palam, where residents tell her about receiving massive water bills “despite no water supply”; Govindpuri, and its “broken roads”; and Kirari, with “year-round waterlogging”.
Talking about these visits, Maliwal says: “The Delhi government needs to address the condition of the roads, streetlights, buses, and shelters. The situation is horrible… The government says it will address these issues if returned to power, but why not now? If I can come to talk to people about their grievances, why can’t they?”
The AAP, which has accused Maliwal of acting at the BJP’s behest from the time she lodged the FIR against Bibhav Kumar, says her spot visits too are part of the BJP’s agenda. Asked about this, she says: “I am an MP of Delhi, and it’s my duty to be on the ground and help people. Are the people sitting outside these hospitals also brought by the BJP?”
