In Delhi, 110 clinics have treated 1.5 million people between April and December, shows latest available data. Mohalla clinics also got praised by International leaders.
“This indicates the huge unmet need for free universal health care. The healthcare reforms being undertaken in Delhi strike me as an excellent strategy,” said Dr Brundtland.
“These clinics are for people in shelters who often find it difficult to receive treatment because they are alone with no support,” said Delhi health minister Satyendra Jain.
Here’s why Delhi’s Mohalla clinics are drawing international praise:
- It was started to take diagnostics and treatment of simple ailments to people’s doorstep and reduce the footfall in tertiary care hospitals.
- In Delhi, 110 clinics have treated 1.5 million people between April and December, shows latest available data.
- The AAP has opened such 1000 clinics by March 2017.
- The clinics offer 110 essential drugs and 212 diagnostic tests to people absolutely free, thus drawing a lot of attention from locals.
- By treating minor ailments outside hospitals, Mohalla clinics are expected to free up doctors at tertiary care hospitals to focus on complicated diseases and surgeries.
- Four clinics at night shelters are helping screen the homeless and marginalized, who often get left out of social benefits.
- AAP plans to provide dental care at the community level with 100 dental clinics based on the model of Mohalla clinics.
Apart from the praises, they are also being criticized by few people. According to them, clinics lack trained medical staff for providing medicines, even as the project that aims to unburden ageing state-run hospitals faces allegations of irregularities.
In gross violation of norms, the government has employed auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs) to work as pharmacists, or helpers, in the so-called "Mohalla clinics". In some of them, doctors, ANMs and helpers were dealing with patients but there were no pharmacists. The ANMs registered the patients and dispensed medicines to them. According to health department officials, ANMs carry out door-to-door visits for vaccination of children, counselling of pregnant women and creating general awareness on health and nutrition.
Overall, It seems that Mohalla clinics are a great success for AAP.