326 of 520 Mohalla Clinics running in porta cabins: Govt

New Delhi: Of the total 520 Mohalla Clinics functioning in Delhi, 326 are running in porta cabins and 166 are housed in rented facilities, according to health department data.

The Delhi government's target is to open 1,000 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics (AAMC).

A total of 520 Mohalla Clinics have been opened in Delhi (24 of those with an evening shift). While 326 Mohalla Clinics are running in porta cabins, 166 are housed in rented facilities, and four operating out of 'Basti Vikas Kendra', according to data shared by the health department in a written reply to a question in the just concluded budget session of the Delhi Assembly.

For 2021-22, it was proposed to open 42 new mohalla clinics, the department said in another reply.

It also said that there is a proposal to set up a committee coordinated by ordinary citizens and local MLAs to run the Mohalla Clinics smoothly.

Against the target of 1,000 AAMCs, 520 were operational in the national Capital as on December 31, 2021, according to the Delhi government's Outcome Budget presented in the Assembly on March 25.

On an average, each AAMC handles 116 patient visits per day and together a total of over 60,000 patients a day, it said.

Mohalla Clinics' system is one of the flagship initiatives of the Arvind Kejriwal government and is aimed at boosting the primary healthcare system in Delhi.

In his budget speech on March 26, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said that education and healthcare sectors have been accorded top priority by the Kejriwal government in the last seven years.

In Delhi, 5.49 crore people have been treated at mohalla clinics, he had said.

An amount of Rs 475 crore has been set aside for mohalla clinics and polyclinics in the 2022-23 budget.

Meanwhile, over Rs 1,500 crore was spent by the Delhi government for repairing roads in the national Capital in the last two years, according to the Public Works Department.

The information was shared in response to a question in the Delhi Assembly earlier this week. "An amount of Rs 873.79 crore was allotted for repairing of roads and sense carpeting in 2020-21 out of which Rs 539.99 crore was spent. Similarly, during 2021-22, an amount of Rs 1041.38 crore was allotted for the purpose out of which Rs 985.96 crore was spent," the response read.

Over Rs 1.71 crore have been spent by the Delhi Sports University to advertise that it will give admission to budding sportspersons from across the country.

This information was shared by the Delhi government's higher education department in response to a question in the Delhi Assembly last week.