Arvind Kejriwal’s warning during the Delhi elections regarding Mohalla Clinics has turned out to be true. Arvind Kejriwal had stated that if the BJP comes to power, it will shut down the Mohalla Clinics operating in Delhi. Not even a month has passed since the BJP formed its government, and it has already announced the closure of 250 Mohalla Clinics, proving Arvind Kejriwal’s prediction right.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has condemned this move by the BJP, calling it unjust, and has demanded that instead of shutting down Mohalla Clinics, the BJP should open more of them.
Reacting to news of shutting down of Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics, senior AAP leader and former CM Atishi wrote on ‘X’ (erstwhile Twitter): “Before the elections, Arvind Kejriwal had warned that if the BJP wins, then mohalla clinics, schools, free electricity-water-bus travel will all be stopped.
Modi ji claimed that nothing will be stopped. Today, Arvind Kejriwal’s words came true. The BJP government is going to shut down mohalla clinics. This is just the beginning. Soon free electricity, free water, free bus travel for women, free education – everything will stop…Keep watching…”
Meanwhile, speaking at a press conference at the AAP headquarters on Friday, Satyendar Jain said that on Thursday, the BJP’s Health Minister announced plans to shut down 250 Mohalla Clinics in Delhi. “The AAP government had set up Mohalla Clinics across the city to serve the people, offering free healthcare services. Each Mohalla Clinic has a doctor, provides free medicines, and offers 365 types of diagnostic tests—many of which are unavailable in some major hospitals.
“These clinics were strategically placed so that people could access treatment for minor ailments close to their homes without having to travel far. This is why they were named Mohalla Clinics, ensuring residents could walk to them easily,” stated the senior AAP leader.
Satyendar Jain emphasized that the AAP government had opened around 550 Mohalla Clinics across Delhi, but now the BJP government is preparing to shut down 250 of them, which is a grave injustice to the people of Delhi. He argued that instead of closing clinics, the BJP should be expanding the healthcare infrastructure.
“If AAP was able to build 550 Mohalla Clinics, the BJP should be aiming to establish at least 1,000 within a couple of months. Closing these clinics is not justifiable. On one hand, the BJP is renaming Mohalla Clinics as ‘Arogya Mandirs,’ while on the other, it is shutting them down. AAP strongly urges the BJP not to close a single Mohalla Clinic but to establish more as quickly as possible,” he added.
Satyendar Jain further clarified that running Mohalla Clinics on rented premises is not a problem, as many government offices also function from rented spaces. “AAP firmly believed that Mohalla Clinics should be located within neighborhoods for better accessibility. If a clinic is set up outside a village, people are less likely to visit, but placing it inside the locality ensures utilization. If a small piece of land is rented in an unauthorized colony for a Mohalla Clinic, there is nothing wrong with it,” he added.
The senior AAP leader pointed out that the Delhi government does not own land, so it used rented spaces to set up these clinics. Even before AAP’s tenure, the Delhi government operated healthcare services from rented locations. Every day, approximately 75,000 people receive treatment at Mohalla Clinics, which are fully digitized. At any time, authorities can track the number of patients visiting each clinic.
Satyendar Jain questioned the BJP’s logic: If these 250 clinics supposedly exist only on paper and not on the ground, why do they need to be shut down?
Satyendar Jain slammed the BJP for wanting to shut down Mohalla Clinics to punish the people of Delhi. He criticized the BJP’s approach, arguing that closing a facility simply because the Arvind Kejriwal government established it is completely unjustified. He pointed out that prestigious institutions are studying and conducting PhD research on Delhi’s Mohalla Clinic model because it is an exceptional healthcare initiative. “Instead of dismantling it, the BJP government should be working to expand it. Shutting it down serves no purpose.”
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