With mohalla clinics in it, govt to present health model to WHO

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will present its health model to the WHO, World Bank and other major international bodies at a conference in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain will present the health model, which includes the city’s Mohalla Clinics.

The conference is jointly organised by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank and the Rockefeller Foundation in association with the Thai government.

The Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi has set up more than 100 Mohalla Clinics since taking office in February 2015 and plans to take the number to 1,000.

At these clinics, located in both poor and middle class neighbourhoods, people have access to doctors, medical tests and medicines - all for free.

“Jain will brief the conference about the initiatives taken by the Delhi government for the improvement of health sector, particularly its emphasis on affordable healthcare facilities for all,” an official statement said.

“Being invited to this conference is an endorsement of the work being done by the Delhi government towards tackling social exclusion and providing quality affordable healthcare,” the statement added.

Notable personalities who will attend the conference include Nobel laureate and noted economist Amartya Sen and Ethiopia’s former Health Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Jain will also hold talks with with the Secretary General of National Health Security Office, Thailand, on matters concerning urban health.

“This conference acknowledges the initiatives taken by the (Delhi) government and seeks to share the experience of the Health Minister on a global platform where his vision may light up similar reforms in other countries,” the statement said.