3 min readNew DelhiMar 23, 2023 02:11 AM IST
First published on: Mar 22, 2023 at 03:17 PM IST
No new major project was announced for the health sector in the Delhi budget. The allocation for the sector, one of the Delhi government’s key focus areas, also reduced slightly from Rs 9,769 crore last year to Rs 9,742 crore this year.
Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot mentioned that four of the 100 Mahila Mohalla Clinics, announced by CM Arvind Kejriwal last November, have started functioning in the capital.
“The Mahila Mohalla clinic has a number of specialised services for women, including cervical cancer screening and immunisation services for children under 12 years of age. We have four operational Mahila Mohalla Clinics and in the first four months, more than 42,000 patients have visited. In the next year, based on the experiences of existing four clinics, we plan to open 100 such clinics across the city,” he said.
Gahlot added, “Work is underway on important projects like Health Information Management System (HIMS) and health card. Through these, people of Delhi will be able to go to any government hospital for treatment without carrying their old records.”
At present, Delhi has 515 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, four Mahila Mohalla Clinics, 174 allopathic dispensaries, 60 primary urban health centres, 30 polyclinics, and 39 multi-specialty hospitals. In his budget speech, Gahlot said the number of free diagnostic tests provided in mohalla clinics will be increased from 256 to 450 this year. The increase was supposed to be effective starting January. According to officials, these tests will also be conducted in polyclinics and dispensaries.
The budget mentioned nine new hospitals, which are under construction and out of which four will be operational this year. The design of the hospitals has been conceptualised as a semi-permanent structure that can be utilised for 25-30 years and they are to be constructed in a very short time. Fifteen hospitals are being remodelled and their bed capacity is being increased as well. Around 6,000 new beds will be added after the remodelling.
“…Delhi government is working on a fast track mode to build nine new government hospitals in areas such as Jwalapuri, Madipur, Shalimar Bagh, Hastsal, Siraspur, Sarita Vihar, Raghubir Nagar, Sultanpuri and Kirari, four of which will be operational in the next financial year. Along with this, work has also begun for remodelling and extension of 15 hospitals, including Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya and GTB,” he said.
As per the Economic Survey of Delhi, the hospital bed count will be increased from 14,000 to 30,000 in existing Delhi government hospitals. The budget announced the ambulance fleet has increased from 250 to 395 in last two years and 38 more vehicles will be added this year.
Health sectors left out of AAP government's budget plans. (File) 
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