Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said 1,140 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM) will be opened by March 2026 in the national Capital.
Speaking at the launch of 33 AAMs and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendra across the city, Gupta said they have a deadline of March 2026 to finish the task of building these community health centres.
“The central government gave a grant of ₹2,400 crore to the Delhi government in 2020 for opening Arogya Mandirs, but the then Delhi government did not let the city avail these facilities due to ego and misunderstanding. When we got the responsibility, we started setting up the Arogya Mandirs utilising the funds. A total of 1,140 Arogya Mandirs have been sanctioned in Delhi, and we have to finish the work by March otherwise the funds will lapse. The work which could have been easily done in the last five years for the benefits of the people will have to be done in the next eight months so that the funds allotted for the people do not lapse,” said Gupta.
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Tuesday’s inauguration of 33 AAMs was done across the national Capital with CM Gupta along with her six cabinet ministers, seven MPs and MLAs.
“Today 33 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendras are being opened in Delhi at the same time. Our ministers, MPs, and MLAs are inaugurating the facilities at separate locations. In these centres, many health facilities have been provided for the people which were otherwise not available for them,” CM Gupta said while addressing a gathering at Tis Hazari in East Delhi district after inaugurating the health facilities.
In Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, in-house lab tests are available, along with 12 different kinds of health services while in the 17 Jan Aushdhi Kendra, medicines are available at affordable rates.
Cabinet minister Parvesh Verma inaugurated the facility at Babar Road while Kapil Mishra in Khajuri Khas while Ashish Sood inaugurated it in Janakpuri.
South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri inaugurated the facility in Tughlaqabad while North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari inaugurated the facility in Yamuna Vihar.
CM Gupta criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led government over the previous Mohalla Clinics that turned into “corruption spots”
“In the name of Mohalla Clinics, a porta cabin was set up by the roadside, a temporary health office was stationed there and was paid ₹40 per patient. In such a situation, will the health officer concentrate on providing the health services or counting the patients? The billing (in Mohalla Clinics) was the biggest source of corruption… medicines were not available to the people, nor the people were provided health services… the Mohalla Clinics were the biggest sources of corruption under the previous government health model where in the name of outsourcing the testing crores of rupees were looted… inflated rents were paid for the Mohalla Clinics… many of these centres turned into the shelter of cattle or addicts…,”
A comment from the AAP is awaited, and the copy will be updated whenever it is received.