Delhi govt opens 33 Arogya Mandirs

Hindustan Times

5 hours ago

Chief minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday announced that the Capital will get more than 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) by March 2026, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government inaugurated 33 AAMs and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs) across the city in a major push to overhaul Delhi's primary healthcare network.
Speaking at the citywide launch event, Gupta called the rollout a 'decisive break' from the Mohalla Clinics model of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) regime, which she said were conducting 'fake tests' and were 'centres of corruption'.
Speaking at Tis Hazari, Gupta said each of Delhi's 70 constituencies will receive 15 AAMs. 'The central government sanctioned ₹2,400 crore for these facilities in 2020, but the AAP government blocked their implementation out of political ego. A total of 1,139 Arogya Mandirs have been sanctioned in Delhi, and we have to finish the work by March otherwise the funds will lapse. We have just eight months to execute what should have been done over five years,' she said.
Gupta described AAMs as a leap forward from Mohalla Clinics. 'These aren't just OPD centres. AAMs will offer comprehensive healthcare under 12 service packages—ranging from maternal and child health to mental healthcare, geriatric support, and management of chronic diseases like TB, leprosy, and diabetes,' she said, adding that lab tests, preventive care, and national health programme support will also be available in-house.
Launched in 2015, Mohalla Clinics were conceived by the AAP as free, walk-in neighbourhood facilities offering basic healthcare and medicines. But since taking power, the BJP has dismantled the network, alleging they were 'hotspots of corruption,' with inflated billing, missing medicines, and misuse of public funds. 'Wherever AAMs come up, Mohalla Clinics will be shut down,' Gupta said. 'People deserve a better, more reliable healthcare system.'
In her speech, she lambasted the earlier model. 'Mohalla Clinics were just porta cabins set up on pavements. Health officers were paid ₹40 per patient, incentivising inflated bills over actual care. Many clinics became shelters for stray animals and addicts. Outsourced testing and rent payments became avenues for siphoning off public money.'
The new AAMs, officials said, will feature permanent infrastructure, qualified staff, and digital health records. In addition to healthcare services, the 17 new JAKs opened on Tuesday will provide generic medicines and surgical supplies at 50-80% below market rates under the PMBJP scheme. Gupta said these centres will eventually be expanded to all government hospitals in Delhi, providing financial relief to patients and employment to entrepreneurs.
Tuesday's launch was conducted via a coordinated blitz across the city. While Gupta inaugurated the Tis Hazari facility, cabinet ministers, MPs, and MLAs held parallel events in their constituencies. Health minister Dr Pankaj Singh opened a centre in Vikaspuri, while cabinet colleagues Parvesh Verma, Kapil Mishra, and Ashish Sood launched facilities at Babar Road, Khajuri Khas, and Janakpuri, respectively. South Delhi MP Ramvir Singh Bidhuri inaugurated the Tughlaqabad centre, and North East MP Manoj Tiwari was present in Yamuna Vihar.
Health minister Pankaj Singh said access to quality health care and cleanliness is the fundamental right of every Delhiite. 'Our government is ensuring that this right becomes a reality. There will be no longer need to visit large hospitals for basic treatments. Medical tests and medicines will now be available easily and without delay,' he said. He also said that AAMs will offer OPD services from 8am to 2pm every day except Sunday.
Minister Verma said: 'Within 100 days, 33 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and 17 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been inaugurated. This proves the resolve of the Central Government and the working power of the Delhi government.'
The launch was targetted by the AAP. AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bharadwaj accused the BJP of rebranding AAP's work. 'They're repainting Mohalla Clinics and calling them AAMs,' he said, citing the Chirag Delhi dispensary as an example. 'It was inaugurated by AAP in 2017. The BJP simply slapped a new name on the board. They haven't built anything new.'
Bharadwaj alleged the BJP's narrative was 'an exercise in daily lies,' adding, 'The people of Delhi know who built these clinics. The BJP is hijacking our work and selling it back as its own.'
CM, meanwhile, blamed the AAP government for 'deliberately' avoiding opening Jan Ayshadhi Kendra due to political considerations.
'The new government has decided to establish these centres in all government hospitals, and 17 centers were inaugurated today in 17 hospitals. These Kendras will operate under the PMBJP and offer affordable, quality medicines, medical equipment, and surgical items at prices 50% to 80% lower than market rates. This initiative not only offers financial relief to patients but also creates employment opportunities for entrepreneurs,' said CM Gupta.
Gupta stressed her government is committed to long-term capacity building. 'We are working towards a target of three hospital beds per 1,000 citizens in Delhi. Today, that number is just 0.42,' she said.