NEW DELHI: The mohalla or community clinics initiative launched by the government of Delhi are facing a new challenge with emerging reports about thefts happening at many clinics due to poor maintenance.
The issue cropped up at a recent meeting of the Public Works Department (PWD) officials. The PWD department is responsible for maintaining the mohalla clinics.
The minutes of the meeting highlight thefts have become dommon at the mohalla clinics in the national capital in the absence of watchman or security guard.
As per sources, the matter was communicated to the office of the Minister of Health Satyendra Jain for redressal.
“Our job is to maintain the equipment installed at the clinics. However, there is no point in having equipment at clinics without proper security arrangements. The health department has to provide the guards. It is because of this issue that in many places hospitals are not willingly opting for a mohalla clinic in their compound. The matter is being looked into by authorities,” said an official at PWD health (maintenance) wing looking after the Mohall clinics.
“Monsoon has begun in Delhi but the drains have not been de-silted due to which there is danger of flooding on the roads of Delhi. People are apprehensive of diseases like Dengue, Chikenguniya, Malaria which spread due to water logging. Mohalla clinics, for which crores of rupees were spent by Kejriwal government on its advertisement, are unable to treat the people because they are in very bad shape” said Rajesh Bhatia, general secretary, BJP’s Delhi unit.
Currently, as many as 100 mohalla clinics are operational across the national capital. In the last budget, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that Delhi government would construct 530 mohalla clinics and 230 school clinics by October 30 this year.
164 Aam Aadmi mohalla clinics have been identified so far. 80 lakh people had availed health services at these clinics. 1,000 mohalla clinics yet to be constructed. 24 polyclinics are in operation and 94 more dispensaries have been identified for starting polyclinics. A 403 crore outlay is proposed for the mohalla clinics and polyclinics in 2018-2019.