‘Have holistic approach towards mohalla clinics’

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Monday asked the AAP government to adopt a “holistic approach” while setting up mohalla clinics in the city, instead of proceeding in piecemeal fashion by first getting land and then trying to recruit staff for these health care centres.

A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar made these observation after it was informed that the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has cleared 107 sites for setting up the clinics and the Aam Aadmi Party government is initiating the process of recruiting staff for these centres.

“How will you man these 107 clinics? Do you have a cadre? You cannot start land first and then recruitment later. It has to be holistic,” the court said.

Of the three municipal corporations, the one representing south Delhi has said it cannot permit setting up mohalla clinics in primary schools.

The South Delhi municipal corporation, represented by central government standing counsel Monika Arora, also told the bench that it has sought some additional information from the Delhi government and on receiving it a policy on the issue of setting up such clinics would be framed.

The North and East Delhi Municipal Corporations said they are examining the feasibility of setting up the clinics in their respective jurisdictions.

The bench, thereafter, directed the municipal cororations to inform the court about the outcome of the deliberations on the next date of hearing on May 9.

The court was hearing a PIL by NGO Justice for All, seeking a direction to authorities to allot adequate number of plots for construction of these clinics.