The Aam Aadmi Party government’s flagship primary healthcare initiative could soon see an addition of 333 mohalla clinics, with the sites having been handed over to the Public Works Department for construction, officials said.
On Monday, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal took a review of the Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic (AAMC) project and officials of the Health, PWD and Education Department attended, a senior government official with knowledge of the meeting said.
The Health Department informed the Chief Minister that 187 mohalla clinics were functioning at the moment and no-objection certificates from various departments had been received for 607 new sites, the official said.
School clinics
Of these sites, 333 had been handed over to the PWD to begin construction or installation of porta-cabins.
In addition, 265 sites for setting up school clinics at Delhi government schools had been identified, the official said, adding that Mr. Kejriwal instructed officials to begin work on these.
Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary (PWD) Manoj Kumar Parida said the Department was “ready” to start work at the 333 sites handed over to it.
“Work at these sites will start soon,” he added.
One of the AAP government’s key programmes, the AAMC project has faced delays due to lack of land and permissions. The government’s initial plan was to set up 1,000 mohalla clinics by the end of 2016.
After the deadline was extended to March 2017, lack of sites led to tenders floated by the PWD for construction of 750 clinics to be cancelled in July 2017. The tender for construction of 250 clinics was kept active to accommodate new sites as they became available.
