Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal announces 100 special 'mohalla clinics' for women and children

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Delhi mohalla clinics: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday, announced the opening of 100 special 'mohalla clinics' for women in the nation's capital, with an all-female staff.

He also inaugurated four "mahila special mohalla clinics," and announced that women and children below 12 years will be provided free medical care at these facilities. The Kejriwal administration's flagship programme, the mohalla clinic system, aims to improve access to primary healthcare in the city.

According to the Outcome Budget, which was presented in the assembly on March 25, one mohalla clinic normally sees116 patients per day, and all 520 of such facilities together handle more than 60,000 patients per day.

"Four mahila mohalla clinics, special clinics for women where gynaecological services, tests and medicines will be available free of cost for them and children under the age of 12 years, are being opened today. In the first phase, 100 such clinics will be opened for women and children," Kejriwal said. However, he did not specify how much time will it take to open these clinics. 

There was a need of some facilities exclusively for women: Kejriwal

"It was felt that there needed to be some facilities that are exclusively for women and therefore, based on the needs of women in Delhi, such facilities are being opened on a large scale," he said after the inauguration ceremony at the mahila mohalla clinic developed at the DIZ Staff Quarters in the Kali Mandir area.

The first four clinics have been started at Basti Vikas Kendra JJ Camp Moti Lal Nehru Camp in Munirka, Sector-4 DIZ area, Sapera Basti in Kondli and DJB Sewage Pumping Station Batla House in Okhla.

Who will get treatment at mahila mohalla clinics?

"This mahila mohalla clinic model is the first of its kind innovation in our country. Only women and children aged under 12 will be treated at mahila mohalla clinics. All employees at these clinics will be females and like normal mohalla clinics, all treatment will be free of cost here," Kejriwal added.

In addition to the 239 tests done at mohalla clinics, all tests related to women and adolescent healthcare will be done at these new facilities, he said.

"Delhi has always had big hospitals, but citizens would get hassled waiting in lines even for treatment for cough and cold.

Mohalla clinics helped change this forever. They would need to visit these big hospitals, often having to wait in long queues over there and also leading to overcrowding at these hospitals. They would also not get medicines free of cost and therefore, had to spend for these and other facilities," the Delhi chief minister remarked.

He further said, "We also noticed that doctors in most of mohalla clinics are men and therefore, women may not feel as comfortable as they would with doctors of their own gender. They are also likely to have some health issues that the men doctors may not directly relate to." 

(With inputs from PTI)

Also Read: Delhi to now have 'special mohalla clinics' for women