Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has assured the Mohalla Clinic staff that they will not lose their jobs amid concerns over a possible overhaul of the system and AAP alleging the dismissal of thousands of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and multi-tasking workers from the clinics.
Addressing the growing apprehension among the workers, Gupta said the existing employees will be given priority under the new healthcare framework being introduced by the Delhi government.
“There is no reason to worry. No one will lose their job. In fact, the existing staff will be prioritised in the new system,” Gupta said, addressing fears sparked by reports of restructuring.
The government plans to transition the current Mohalla Clinics into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, aimed at providing integrated primary healthcare services to citizens, officials said.
They said the new model is designed to enhance infrastructure, improve service delivery and expand access to medicines and diagnostics while ensuring continuity of employment for existing workers.
Addressing a press conference, Delhi Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged that the minutes of a meeting issued on May 7 indicated plans to shut down most Mohalla clinics in Delhi. The stated reason, he said, was that Ayushman Arogya Mandirs would be established in their place and wherever an Arogya Mandir is built, there would be no need for a nearby Mohalla Clinic.
Responding to AAP’s allegations, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh said the government will not do injustice to anyone and everyone eligible will be included.
“There will be a proper process to hire doctors and all eligible candidates can apply. There will be transparency in the selection as we aim to provide the best healthcare to our people.
“All good doctors and healthcare workers will be with us. Everything will be done systematically,” the minister told PTI.
However, according to Bharadwaj, the May 7 statement read that the clinics will remain operational only until the Arogya Mandirs are constructed, after which both clinics and their personnel will be removed.
“They’ve been trying to get a meeting fixed with the chief minister since then. But when they got no response, they were left with no choice but to come in thousands to the CM’s Janata Darbar,” he said.
Bharadwaj accused the BJP of going back on its promise.
“Before elections, the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi), (Union Health Minister) J P Nadda and every BJP MP and minister promised that no public welfare scheme run during the AAP government tenure — be it free electricity, 20,000 litres of water or Mohalla clinics — would be stopped. But the first order by the new health minister was to shut down 250 rented clinics,” he said.
“With the sentiment of political hatred, all the facilities are being shut down. And on top of that, the people who used to come to the clinics every day, used to get free treatment, free medicines and free tests, those facilities are also being shut down by the BJP,” he added.
Bharadwaj noted that many of the staffers have been working since 2017.
“For more than eight years, they’ve worked, earning between ₹25,000 to ₹30,000 a month. Their income depends on patient turnout. Their entire family is dependent on them,” he said.
“Just like the BJP removed over 10,000 bus marshals, data entry operators in hospitals, yoga instructors, Delhi Assembly Research Centre (DARC) fellows and guest teachers, now they’re targeting the Mohalla Clinic staff. This is shameful,” he added.
“In Arvind Kejriwal’s government, the poor got jobs. Today, under the BJP, they are being removed without any thought about how they will run their homes and feed their families,” he added.
The BJP, which returned to power in Delhi in February after a gap of over 26 years, approved the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in its first cabinet meeting held shortly after Chief Minister Gupta and six of her ministers took oath on February 20.
In her Budget speech, Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced that 1,139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs will be set up across Delhi.
According to officials, there are currently 553 Mohalla clinics in the national capital, of which 70 are proposed to be upgraded into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.