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Kejriwal inaugurates 152 Mohalla Clinics
New Delhi
New Delhi
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday inaugurated 152 Mohalla Clinics, urging people to not let the vehicle of development that they had started by choosing an “honest party” in 2015, come to a halt.
“You created history. You decimated two parties and voted a new party, an honest party in 2015. That’s the miracle the entire country is witnessing. Now, do not let this development halt. The vehicle of development that you have started in Delhi is running at 100 kmph, don’t put a brake during this elections. Place your foot on the accelerator and let it run at 200 kmph,” said Kejriwal at the ceremony in Pitampura.
With this, the total number of Mohalla Clinics has reached 453. The AAP government had set a target of 1,000 clinics, one for every one square kilometre inhabited in Delhi. The clinics provide free consultation, medicines, and 212 diagnostic tests.
The inauguration of 100 mohalla clinics in October last year will be recognised by the Limca Book of Records, said Satyendar Jain, Delhi health minister.
“Till now, there were 301 mohalla clinics in the city, today 152 more mohalla clinics were started taking the total to 453. No country in the world has started 152 primary health centres at one go. Last time, we had inaugurated 100 clinics, which is being recognised in the Limca Book of Records, and today the 152 clinics will get registered in Guinness Book of World Records, I am sure,” said Jain.
The minister talked about the “unprecedented developments” in the health sector, listing various projects undertaken by the AAP government, including over 15,000 beds being added through remodelling of hospitals and constructing new facilities, mohalla clinics treating over 2 crore people since 2015 when the first one came up, the government providing high-end diagnostics free at private centres, free surgeries at private hospitals if the wait is longer than a month in the government hospital, and free treatment of accident, fire, and acid attack victims.
“In the 70 years before the Kejriwal government, only 256 dispensaries were launched in Delhi. We have started 453 in less than five years; and the five years are not over yet. We could have started 1,000 clinics too if the files were not stopped at the L-Gs table. This is the biggest expansion of a health programme in the world. Not just Mohalla Clinics, government is working to add 15,154 more beds in 26 hospitals where new buildings are being added. Of these eight hospitals are new. In the last 70 years, Delhi government hospitals got 10,000 beds,” said Jain.
“All the hospitals will be air conditioned and the treatment will be the same mantri jaye ya santri jaye (Whether a minister goes or a soldier),” he added.
Kejriwal said the national parties have deliberately kept India poor.
“A lot has happened in the last five years in Delhi, then why not in the last 70 years? This means our country was deliberately kept poor for the last 70 years. This means our country was deliberately kept illiterate for the last 70 years. Why is it that Japan, which was destroyed during the second World War, today after 70 years is much ahead of us? Why is it that Singapore that gained independence in 1964, after us, is today much ahead of us? Germany that was destroyed completely is much developed than us? In the last five years, if the AAP government was able to improve the schools and the hospitals in Delhi, it can happen across the country too. So far, the politics was bad, there was corruption,” said Kejriwal.
