New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party on Friday sharply criticised the Delhi government after 95 more Mohalla Clinics were ordered to shut down, calling the move a direct attack on accessible healthcare for the poor and elderly. AAP Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj contrasted the closures with the government’s plan to open premium liquor showrooms at metro stations and malls, accusing the administration of misplaced priorities.
Bharadwaj said the government appeared determined to wipe out neighbourhood clinics by continually expanding its criteria. “The government first said Mohalla Clinics running on rented premises would be shut. Then they said clinics within a one-kilometre radius of another health service would close. When some still survived, they extended it to 1.6 kilometres,” he alleged.
He expressed concern over the impact the closures would have on thousands of patients who rely on these centres for regular treatment and medicines. “What will happen to people who used to get treated there? What medicines will they receive? The government is silent on it all,” he said.
Bharadwaj also criticised the decision to allow high-end liquor stores at public transit locations. “Anyone who wants to drink alcohol will now be able to get alcohol at metro stations too… but if a person is sick he must not get free treatment, so Mohalla Clinics are being shut down,” he remarked, accusing the government of glamorising alcohol while restricting essential healthcare.
Citing examples from Chittaranjan Park and Shapur Jat village, he said many residents, including senior citizens and middle-class families, depended on the clinics. “Where will these people go for treatment now? Does the government have an answer?” he asked.
Urging the administration to reconsider, Bharadwaj said, “Mohalla Clinic is a crucial facility for poor, helpless and elderly people… By shutting this service you will earn the curses of lakhs of people.”