Editor Mr.Mayank Rawat ( Chief Editor Mr. Rohit Mishra )
New Delhi: Delhi’s flagship mohalla clinics are set for a major transformation, with 500 of the neighbourhood health centres being upgraded to Urban Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs (UAAMs) under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
Govt has set the ball rolling with the tender process being initiated by Public Works Department (PWD) for the revamp of 72 mohalla clinics into Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs across the city. The estimated cost put to tender is Rs 1.4 crore, and the earnest money is over Rs 2.7 lakh crore. The deadline for the project is 24 months. Bidders have been given time till April 5.
The primary focus of the health centres will be on a holistic approach towards patient care and disease prevention, said a senior official. The upgraded clinics, he added, will also feature video-conferencing facilities, enabling patients to consult doctors at larger govt hospitals online. The existing scheme for MRI and CT scans will continue, allowing patients to access the services at private centres, he said. At the Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs, screening of common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cervical, breast and oral cancer, will be an integral part of service delivery, said the official.
Some of the areas that will see the facilities being revamped include Tughlakabad, Railway Colony, Tughlakabad Extension, Kalkaji, DDA Flats, Kalkaji Market roundabout, Govindpuri, Sriniwaspuri, Harkesh Nagar, Lodhi Colony, Andrews Ganj, Nehru Nagar, Okhla Industrial Area, Bhogal, Batla House, Paharganj and Karol Bagh.
While 553 existing mohalla clinics will be upgraded to UAAMs, officials said 413 new clinics will have to be operationalised in due course. In a meeting attended by several stakeholders, the secretary of the health and family welfare department asked the district magistrates to send the requirement for new UAAMs as per the population in the respective districts.
According to sources, Delhi was allocated Rs 2,406 crore under PM-ABHIM to set up 1,139 public health centres, 11 public health labs, 10 critical care blocks, four hospitals with 100-bed critical care units, and five ICUs with 50 beds each in govt medical colleges across 11 districts.
The scheme, however, has been pending since 2021. Officials said that as far as possible, the new primary health facilities would be opened on govt lands or buildings. They added that 11 model UAAMs, one in each district, will be set up within 30 days of the scheme’s approval. The existing state-run and MCD dispensaries will also be upgraded as Ayushman Aarogya Mandir public health facilities.
Delhi health minister Pankaj Singh had earlier stated that mohalla clinics, which are on Delhi govt land, will be converted into Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs and improved. They would also include ayurvedic facilities. “We will also establish the centres near JJ clusters to ensure free primary healthcare for all residents in these areas,” Singh had said after the meeting.
Mayank Rawat
