Wherever Arogya Mandirs open, Mohalla Clinics will be pushed out: CM
The Delhi government on Tuesday inaugurated 50 health centres — 33 Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (U-AAMs) and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendras — in the national capital.
The BJP government had earlier decided to roll out a network of U-AAMs and subsume Mohalla Clinics, a flagship plan of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime, in the expanded programme after a Comptroller and Auditor General report tabled in the Assembly revealed shortcomings in the functioning of the clinics.
Speaking after the inauguration of a U-AAM at the Tis Hazari court complex, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said there is a 'hell and heaven difference' between both Mohalla Clinics and U-AAMs.
Claiming that Mohalla Clinics did not have the necessary infrastructure to treat patients, Ms. Gupta assured that the AAMs would 'fill the gaps created by the Mohalla Clinics'.
'The Central government had sanctioned ₹2,400 crore in health grants for Delhi, which went unused for the past five years. The current government has now started utilising that fund to build 1,139 AAMs,' the CM said, adding that over 1,100 AAMs will be unveiled by March 2026.
'Wherever Arogya Mandirs open, Mohalla Clinics will be pushed out with the previous government's broom,' she added.
The U-AAMs will offer consultations and medication and have in-house diagnostic tests, vaccinations for pregnant women, prenatal and postnatal care, mental health services, elderly care, and support for national health programs like TB elimination, said CM Gupta.
Meanwhile, Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been inaugurated inside 17 hospitals. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Aushadhi Yojana, the kendras offer affordable, quality medicines, medical equipment, and surgical items at discounted prices up to 50%-80% lower than market rates.
'Repainted clinics'
Hitting out at the BJP government, AAP Delhi president Saurabh Bharadwaj said, 'Mohalla Clinics and dispensaries built by the [Arvind] Kejriwal government are being repainted and renamed as AAMs. The BJP claims it has built 33 new AAMs. In reality, they are simply repainting old facilities and calling them new.'
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Devender Yadav also alleged that the BJP is only making 'superficial changes' with new coats of paint and passing them off as new clinics.
(With inputs from Ammar Aziz Safwi)
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