AAP government approves 110 mohalla clinics at govt schools

CM Kejriwal has reportedly directed the health department to expedite the process for setting up these clinics

In order to provide better healthcare facilities to children, the AAP government has approved opening of 110 mohalla clinics in the city government-run-schools. The clinics will not only treat sick students in school premises, but will also have a separate entry for general public. The mohalla clinics will be run in porta cabins, having sick room facility for schoolchildren. The decision to this effect was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly directed the health department to expedite the process for setting up these clinics. The Directorate of Education has been entrusted with the job to identify the schools where these clinics will be launched. “It has also been decided that these clinics would also serve as sick room facility for schoolchildren, at present available in only top public schools in the national capital,” a senior city bureaucrat told this newspaper.

Earlier, officials of the health and public works departments had surveyed 500 premises of the government schools across the city. Of these, 265 were found viable for setting up of such clinics. The Directorate of Education has, however, approved setting up of these clinics in just 110 schools. It is reliably learnt that the city government had been planning to open at least 300 mohalla clinics in the government-run-schools. Since it was unable to find suitable space for these health clinics, it was decided to open only 110 such centres.

The AAP government has already made a provision of `5,259 crore for the health sector in its 2016-17 budget, a hike of about 10 per cent over the allocation made last fiscal. It has also promised to add 10,000 new beds at its hospitals and also open 1,000 mohalla clinics across the city to improve the health sector.

The mohalla clinics will basically serve as the first level of the AAP government’s three-tier public health roadmap to make healthcare accessible to all and to reduce overcrowding at the government hospitals. Since the plan was introduced last year, over 100 clinics have been opened so far.

These clinics are expected to offer primary healthcare like basic consultations and medicines. The second tier will consist of polyclinics offering specialist care.