CM Kejriwal warns health officials of criminal cases if lapses found in mohalla clinic project

The Delhi government has succeeded in opening just 180 mohalla clinics so far, a far cry from the promise of 1,000.

The Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday warned health department officials that criminal cases would be registered against officers “if any lapses are found.”

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal told health officials to desist from forcing his government to take criminal action against them. (Sonu Mehta/HT Photo)

“All the officers here, please do not force us to take strict action. If medicines are not available, then we will go to any length. Then, we will register criminal cases against the officers. I am warning the officers who keep sitting on files,” said Kejriwal.

The CM made the comments during a review meeting of the AAP government’s pet project – the mohalla clinics.

In his first year in office, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had promised that the government will open 1,000 mohalla clinics in Delhi; one in a radius of every five km.

But the government has succeeded in opening just 180 clinics so far, most in a rented accommodation rather than the portacabins as initially planned.

Earlier, officers from the public works department had received flak from the CM after a visit to three of the 400 sites finalised for new mohalla clinics that had been found to be “not feasible”.

The push comes as the Elders, an organisation of independent global leaders founded by Nelson Mandela, is likely to visit the clinics, which they said could be replicated in other states to implement universal health coverage.