With reports suggesting that lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung may order closure of mohalla clinics, the AAP Government is in the process of launching a major campaign to seek public feedback on role these clinics have been playing in providing effective medical care across the national Capital.
A highly placed source said Health Minister Satyendra Jain would soon be releasing two Interactive Voice Recorder messages, each of one minute duration, requesting people to visit the mohalla clinics to give feedback on the effectiveness of these centers in shaping the healthcare system of their respective areas.
Jain’s IVR will highlight the Government’s rationale behind the opening of these clinics and its efforts to provide a three-tier healthcare system — primary, secondary and tertiary — to all the Delhiites. The IVR’s will request people how they have directly benefitted from these clinics.
Jain will also highlight that how Jung and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are allegedly hell-bent to close down the mohalla clinics.
Once the Government gets the feedback from public, it will forward the same to the l-G with the request that any decision to close down these clinics would badly affect the newly inducted healthcare mechanism in the city.
It is learnt that the Government will seek public opinion on the impact that the closure of the mohalla clinics on the healthcare system.
It would be pertinent to mention that Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken has accused the Government of indulging in rampant corruption through the scheme.
In its report on mohalla clinics, Maken has released its survey report on the issue, titled ‘Mohalla Clinic Exposed: Party Propaganda not Public Health’. The report highlighted “lapses and ad-hocism” in the Kejriwal Government’s ambitious health project. The Congress also alleged that there was violation of norms in the Government extending pecuniary benefits to AAP workers in the mohalla clinic project. Citing examples of clinics being run from the premises of AAP workers, it said the rent for these clinics was inflated as compared to the market value and this was resulting in a loss to the exchequer.
In the report, the Congress, which had ruled Delhi for 15 years before the AAP formed its first Government in December 2013, said the AAP Government had inherited 95 hospitals, 1,389 dispensaries, 973 polyclinics, 16 medical colleges and a total of 48,096 hospital beds, at an average of 2.71 beds per thousand people.
The AAP Government’s flagship project to open 1,000 mohalla clinics had received widespread criticism with opposition parties alleging these were being opened in violation of set rules. The rival political groups had in fact been demanding that the Government should improve upon the existing health infrastructure rather than open up new clinics. So far, about 100 mohalla clinics have been opened across the city.