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Journalism of Courage
The Delhi government’s Health department has ordered the shutdown of 121 mohalla clinics running out of porta cabins located within 1 kilometre of the Aarogya Mandirs in the city. No prior information was given to the staff about the closure, according to the Mohalla Clinic Union, which claimed that about 2,000 people, including doctors, will lose their jobs with the move.
In an order issued on Friday by Dr Manoj Kumar Gupta, state program officer, Aam Aadmi Mohalla Cell (AAMC), as per the directions of the Health Secretary, the doctors of the mohalla clinics have been asked to complete the inventory list by Saturday with the details of available items under logistics, medicine and consumables, medical and non-medical equipment and any other assets available on site. “A compiled and consolidated list (districtwise) must be ready by Monday morning for presentation in the scheduled meeting,” read the order.
Referring to the shutdown of 31 mohalla clinics earlier this year, Jitendra Kumar, President, Mohalla Clinic Union, said that jobs of thousands of healthcare workers are yet again at risk in the wake of the latest order.
“With this decision, nearly 2,000 mohalla clinic workers will lose their livelihoods. Earlier, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had assured in a public meeting that mohalla clinic workers would be absorbed in Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, but instead, officials have kicked off recruitment process and (have been taking) interviews, effectively pushing out existing employees,” he said.
Speaking with The Indian Express, several doctors of the mohalla clinics said they were not given the two weeks notice as ordered by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) amid a legal dispute over the matter.
On August 21, the CAT had asked the Delhi government to not dismiss nearly a thousand employees engaged by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on a contractual basis in the AAMC before March 31, 2026.
According to the CAT order, a notice of two weeks has to be given to such employees if their services are terminated before March 31, 2026. The tribunal had also asked the government to file a detailed affidavit on the issue of regularisation of such staff members.
At least 1,000 staffers, who worked at the mohalla clinics, had moved CAT, seeking a direction that they all be absorbed in the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, which the BJP government has set up to replace the mohalla clinics that offered free consultations, essential medicines, and basic diagnostic tests under previous AAP government’s flagship primary healthcare initiative.
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