Delhi sets pace in primary healthcare with 51 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs; ₹322-crore works launched

With 370 neighbourhood health centres rolled out in eight months, CM Rekha Gupta says healthcare and local development will move in parallel.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday inaugurated 51 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs from Fatehpur Beri in South Delhi, taking the total number of such centres in the capital to 370 in just eight months. Alongside the healthcare push, she also launched development projects worth ₹322 crore in the Chhatarpur Assembly constituency, underlining the Delhi government’s twin focus on social infrastructure and local development.

A pause from speeches as Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta greets a young child at Fatehpur Beri on Friday, where 51 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs were inaugurated and development works were announced for the Chhatarpur constituency.

The Chief Minister said the rapid expansion of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs marked a shift towards neighbourhood-based, preventive healthcare. “These centres are not merely for treatment. They are spaces of trust, awareness and early intervention. Our aim is that no citizen has to travel far or wait long for basic healthcare,” she said.

Senior leaders, local representatives and officials were present at the programme. Gupta inspected the newly inaugurated centre and reviewed diagnostic, medicine-dispensation and patient-care facilities, directing officials to ensure consistent service quality across all Arogya Mandirs.

She said each Ayushman Arogya Mandir provides comprehensive primary healthcare services, including around 80 types of free diagnostic tests, essential medicines, cancer screening, immunisation, maternal and child healthcare, elderly care and screening for non-communicable diseases. Built with modern and patient-friendly infrastructure, the centres aim to reduce pressure on major hospitals and enable early diagnosis.

The Chief Minister said the government plans to expand the network to more than 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in the near future. She added that strengthening primary healthcare was essential to improving health outcomes and ensuring equity in access to medical services.

Later, Gupta laid the foundation for development projects worth over ₹322 crore in the Chhatarpur constituency. These include road construction and strengthening, drainage improvements, traffic decongestion works, school development and upgrades to civic amenities in residential areas.

She also announced the approval of a double-decker flyover on the Mehrauli–Badarpur Road at an estimated cost of ₹1,471 crore. The constituency will also get three new schools, while four elevated road projects have been cleared for Chhatarpur and surrounding areas.

The Chief Minister said the initiatives reflected the government’s commitment to building a stronger healthcare system alongside long-pending infrastructure upgrades, with the objective of improving daily life and public services for residents across Delhi.