Maternity care to yoga: Delhi's new Arogya Mandirs open doors with a host of services
Pharmacies, maternity centres, play areas for toddlers: Two new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) on Babar Road and Sarojini Nagar opened their doors to the public with a host of amenities on Tuesday.
These AAMs in the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area, which earlier housed dispensaries, are among 33 Arogya Mandirs and 17 Jan Aushadi Kendras that were inaugurated by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and other ministers in different parts of Delhi.
In a post on X, Gupta wrote: 'The inauguration of 33 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in Delhi today marks a comprehensive campaign for a healthy and secure lifestyle. These Ayushman Mandirs will provide 105 completely free-of-cost essential medicines, along with 14 in-house and 79 advanced diagnostic tests. Modern facilities such as yoga sessions every Monday and Thursday, and screenings for five types of cancers, including breast, uterine, and prostate, will also be available.'
The Sarojini Nagar clinic was completely revamped, said medical officer in-charge, Dr Shelly Dua Chauhan, who has been practising since 1996. It was earlier an allopathic-only dispensary, now hired by the Delhi government to open the Arogya Mandir.
The AAM offers several services under one roof — doctor consultation, blood tests, physiotherapy, and a pharmacy, among others, which will be free of cost. It has two doctors, a physiotherapist, and helping staff. It also has a dedicated play area for children.
'This is a one stop for every medical need. There will be a token system to avoid queues,' Dr Chauhan said.
A poster stuck on the wall at the entrance gate lists the various benefits of practising yoga. 'I think women need to step out of their homes at least once daily. It's beneficial for their mental health as well. Here, at the centre, we have yoga and meditation, seeing the need of the hour,' Dr Chauhan added.
At the Babar Road facility, a dedicated parking area has been demarcated for the differently abled, including a ramp, to ensure easy accessibility. It also has a pharmacy stocked with allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurvedic medicines and is fully digitalised.
Patients can find the pharmacy on the ground floor and the maternity and child welfare centre on the first floor, with a waiting area having adequate seating.
There are play areas on both floors created for infants, toddlers, and young children.
All centres plan to hold free monthly camps so people can check their diabetes levels, thyroid, and blood pressure, among other tests. There will also be a special focus on raising awareness about the 'girl child.'
The major advantage of the AAM, according to the NDMC, is the establishment of a laboratory for the purpose of screening, detecting, and evaluating conditions that patients present with.
Inaugurating the two centres, New Delhi MLA and Cabinet Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said, 'The central government had allotted Rs 2,400 crore five years ago for making these [facilities], but the previous government was not able to utilise the funds and not construct even a single one of them.'
CM Gupta also said, in her post on X, that more centres will come up. 'Additionally, these centres will be equipped with digital health records, emergency oxygen supply, mother-child care rooms, and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Our next goal is to upgrade 964 more centres to ensure affordable, accessible, and quality healthcare services reach every street and every colony.'
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