‘Will reduce number of mohalla clinics in Delhi, also rename them’

Delhi's new health minister Pankaj Singh plans to reduce mohalla clinics, rename them, and strengthen healthcare. Free bus rides for women will continue.

A day after being assigned the health and transport portfolios in Delhi, minister Pankaj Singh told HT that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government will reduce the number of mohalla clinics in the city and rename them as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. He also stressed that free bus rides for women will continue. Edited excerpts of an interview:

BJP leader Pankaj Kumar Singh. (ANI)

You have been given the crucial health portfolio. What will be your priorities as Delhi’s health minister?We will strengthen health care services. I will personally visit government hospitals to assess available facilities, meet doctors and staff to understand their challenges, and identify gaps in infrastructure. I will also inspect hospitals where construction has been stalled for over two years. On Saturday, for instance, I plan to visit Rao Tula Ram Hospital in Jaffarpur Kalan.

Will the BJP government continue mohalla clinics or shut them down?A racket has been operating in the name of mohalla clinics. I have sought a detailed report from the health department, which will be submitted to me on Thursday. All mohalla clinics operating on government land will continue, but we will definitely shut those that are running on private rented premises. We are also planning on renaming them “Ayushman Arogya Mandir” and will enhance the health care services they provide.

Will the new government investigate allegations of corruption in mohalla clinics?If we start an investigation, five years won’t be enough — there has been so much corruption. We have come to work, and we will focus on delivering results.

When will the BJP government implement the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, which was passed in the first cabinet meeting?The Delhi cabinet has approved the scheme’s implementation. It will be rolled out next week. We have prepared a list of empaneled hospitals, which will follow the same criteria as the national scheme.

In its manifesto, the BJP had promised a national common mobility card for eligible students, allowing free Metro travel. Will the government implement this?It was a commitment made in our manifesto, and the BJP government in Delhi will fulfil all its promises. I will share more details once the necessary meetings are completed.

As Delhi’s transport minister, what will be your main priorities?Around 50% of CNG buses in the Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) fleet will be phased out of service in the next six months. The electric buses replacing them have already begun arriving, and around 1,500 e-buses are in service. In the next two months, the BJP government will add another 5,000 e-buses to Delhi’s fleet. Our eventual goal is to expand the fleet to about 11,000 e-buses within a year.

During the assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders claimed the BJP would stop free bus rides for women. Will they continue?AAP leaders have a habit of spreading lies. There is no limit to how much they can lie. Free bus rides for women in Delhi’s public transport buses will continue without any change under the BJP government.