100 mohalla clinics opened in 1 month
NEWDELHI:THE Delhi government opened around 100 mohalla clinics in just over a month, taking the total number of the facility to 301. The AAP government had planned to set up a total of 1,000 such neighbourhood clinics across the city, one in every 5km radius, to decongest secondary and tertiary care hospitals.
Of the 301 clinics running now, 185 had come up by July 2018. There were just 210 clinics in September first week.
“Work on mohalla clinics is now going on at a fast pace. Each day two or three clinics are opening up,” said a senior official from Delhi government’s health department, on condition of anonymity.
Initially, the government had planned to set up all the clinics in just one year, by the end of 2016, but ran into trouble with the lieutenant-government and land owning agencies. The government renewed its targets to set up a total of 530 clinics by the end of this financial year, according to its outcome budget.
The chief minister took the target further. At the ceremony to lay the foundation stone of Delhi’s biggest trauma centre in Mangolpuri last month, Kejriwal said, “There are about 200 clinics running across the city. Another 200 will come up in a week and 300 more by November or December. The total number of clinics will be 700 to 800 by the end of the year.”
The numbers were presented in a report updating the CM about the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in Delhi.
“In the period since the first mohalla clinic was launched in Peeragarhi Relief Camp in July 2015, this would be the largest addition to any city’s primary healthcare network in history. The scale at which mohalla clinics are operating is unparalleled,” Kejriwal had said.
Apart from the new mohalla clinics, evening OPDS have started operating in 36 clinics that had a high patient burden.
“Delhi’s healthcare model is setting a benchmark all across the globe! Our journey from very 1st mohalla clinic to providing treatment to ALL Delhites,” Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain tweeted on Wednesday.