NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) will be setting up Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AyAMs) in its community halls across the capital to strengthen primary healthcare accessibility for local residents. The civic body formally passed a proposal regarding this during the House meeting on Tuesday. Under the initiative led by the MCD’s health department, 78 underutilised civic halls with low annual booking rates will host primary health centres under the centrally sponsored scheme.
The healthcare facilities will function primarily from the ground floor or ground-plus-first-floor portions of designated Community Services Department (CSD) halls, leaving the remaining areas available for routine public bookings and community activities.
Additionally, the civic body granted consolidated ex-post facto approval for no-objection certificates (NOCs) already issued for 72 community halls, along with approval for six additional locations.
The approved proposal also gives in-principle authorisation to the MCD commissioner to grant NOCs for future proposals, streamlining the setting up and operationalisation of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in suitable municipal properties.
Feasibility assessments conducted by the health department identified suitable sites in several areas, including Timarpur, Hakikat Nagar, Rohini and Meenakshi Garden.
According to officials, the MCD’s health department requested 12 additional properties beyond the initial 71 and the 72 halls that had been pre-approved.
Eight built properties were identified to assess their feasibility, of which six suitable sites, including those in Timarpur, Hakikat Nagar, Rohini and Meenakshi Garden, were selected for the six fresh approvals, bringing the total number of community halls to 78. Four open-space sites were rejected due to lack of jurisdiction, absence of open space or ongoing reconstruction, officials said.
CM Rekha Gupta in July inaugurated 45 new Ayushman Jan Arogya Mandirs, saying the number of such health centres would be increased from 415 to 1,100. Ayushman Arogya Mandir, formerly known as Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, is India’s flagship primary healthcare initiative aimed at delivering free and universal healthcare closer to local communities.
Authorisation to MCD commissioner to grant NOC
The approved proposal also gives in-principle authorisation to the MCD commissioner to grant No Objection Certificate NOCs for future proposals, streamlining the setting up and perationalisation of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in suitable municipal properties.
