Terming the health sector the "second-most crucial pillar" of the Delhi Model, the Arvind Kejriwal government on Wednesday allocated Rs 9,742 crore to the sector for the financial year 2023-24 and decided to increase the number of free diagnostic tests available in mohalla clinics' to 450.
The latest allocation saw a marginal decline as compared to the previous year (Rs 9,769 crore).
Presenting the budget in the Delhi Assembly, Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot said that as many as 15 hospitals are being extended and remodelled at present.
"Along with education, the health sector is the second-most crucial pillar of the Delhi Model. In the last eight years, keeping the people of Delhi healthy and attending to their minor to major ailments has been at the centre of the AAP government's approach to public health, Gahlot said.
Delhi has 515 Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics, four Mahila Mohalla' clinics, 174 Allopathic dispensaries, 60 Primary Urban Health Centres (PUHCs), 30 polyclinics and 39 multi-specialty hospitals that have become the backbone of the city's good health record, the minister said.
"The number of free diagnostic tests in Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics will increase from 256 to 450 this year," Gahlot added.
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The budget also proposes a plan to open 100 Mahila Mohalla clinics, Gahlot said, adding that nine new hospitals are being constructed in the city and four of them will get operational this year.
"As of now 15 hospitals are being extended and remodelled. The ambulance fleet has been increased from 250 to 395 in the last two years and another 38 will be added this year," he said.
He remarked that mohalla clinics stand for excellence in primary healthcare where qualified MBBS doctors treat people with dignity and respect.
"The benefit of this is that about 2 crore people are coming to these mohalla clinics for treatment annually. In the last eight years, we have worked hard to create such a robust healthcare model on which the people of Delhi can trust and where people can go to get their treatment done with dignity," he noted.
The Kejriwal government has developed a plan to set up mohalla clinics at Metro stations so that the citizens of Delhi can easily get the health services they need.
Gahlot announced that the Delhi government is working on a fast-track mode to build nine new government hospitals in areas such as Jwalapuri, Madipur, Shalimar Bagh, Hastsal, Siraspur, Sarita Vihar, Raghubir Nagar, Sultanpuri and Kirari.
He announced four of which will be operational in the next financial year.
"Along with this, work has also begun for the remodeling and extension of 15 hospitals, including Chacha Nehru Bal Vidyalaya, GTB. With all these efforts, the number of beds available for patients in Delhi government hospitals will increase from 14,000 to approximately 30,000," he said.
Gahlot informed that work is underway on important projects like Health Information Management System (HIMS) and Health Card in Delhi.
"Through the HIMS and Health Card system, the people of Delhi will be able to go to any government hospital for treatment without carrying their old records," the minister announced.
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