Arvind Kejriwal approves setting up of 1,000 Mohalla clinics

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday has approved a proposal in which the Delhi State Health Mission (DSHM) will manage and set up 1,000 Mohalla clinics in the Capital. The decision was taken in a review meeting of the DSHM along with Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Social Welfare Minister Rajendar Pal Gautam and senior officers.

At present, there are 160 Mohalla clinics running in the national capital. These clinics are aimed at providing free healthcare to people close to their homes. The scheme is a flagship project of the AAP government.

The meeting chaired by the Chief Minister also allowed the Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKS) to hire short-term manpower for hospitals to fill the gaps in health services.

"This will help hospitals have an adequate number of staff for services as and when required," Kejriwal said.

The decision came after a month-long indefinite strike by the health mission workers demanding 'same work, same pay'. The 2,700 workers in the city went on a strike paralyzing the health system at the grassroots level. Workers in all the eleven vertical programs including Reproductive Child Health RCH, Tuberculosis Program, Leprosy Program, IDSP, Integrated Disease Surveillance Program etc, involving doctors, pharmacists, nurses, ANMs, lab technicians, had ceased work for the longest strike this year.

The 800 Auxillary Nurse Midwife, ANM workers, perform at least two immunisations weekly for children in different areas and if calculated, more than 40,000 children did not receive their vaccines during the strike, thus questioning the working of these clinics.

'Remove politics from Mohalla clinics'

• Recently, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday had requested everyone to leave behind party politics and help in setting up of Mohalla clinics in the national capital. "Everybody should come forward for the cause leaving behind party politics," the chief minister wrote on Twitter.
   
• Talking about the clinics, Kejriwal said that any help in setting these clinics up was an "act of virtue". "Poor people are treated in the Mohalla clinics. Any help towards setting up these clinics is an act of virtue," he said.
   
• Kejriwal was referring to media reports about the Delhi government not being given land by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation for the expansion of the Mohalla clinics.