On February 15, Tuesday, the Aam Aadmi Party has accused at Rahul Gandhi for taking credit for the Mohalla clinics in Delhi. Sharing media reports from 2015 covering the inaugural of the first Mohalla clinic by AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal, the party tweeted: “If you (Congress) had done some work in Punjab, you wouldn’t have to steal credit”.
The AAP response came after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing the Gurdaspur rally on February 14, claimed that the first Mohalla clinic in Delhi was established by the Congress party. Slamming Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the COVID crisis in the national capital, Rahul Gandhi said: “Kejriwal brags about Mohalla clinics in Delhi. Congress party and had opened the first mohalla clinics in Delhi.”
He added: “Kejriwal should answer – What happened during Corona? Where did the Aam Aadmi Party disappear? What happened in Delhi hospitals? Who arranged for the oxygen cylinders?”.
AAP senior leader and Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain slammed Rahul Gandhi and accused him of lying about Delhi’s Mohalla clinics. He even challenged the Gandhi scion to disclose details to prove that the first Mohalla clinic was founded by the late Congress stalwart and former CM of Delhi, Sheila Dixit. Jain shared a report by TOI published on July 20, 2015, to call out Rahul Gandhi’s propaganda. The TOI report stated that on July 19, 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the first mohalla clinic in Rajiv Gandhi JJ Punjabi Colony, a relief camp in Peeragarhi.
The AAP leader further shared a letter written by Congress leader Ajay Makan in 2016 in which the latter had appealed to the then Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung to shut down the Mohalla Clinic citing serious violations of public health and financial propriety by the AAP government.
Mohalla Clinic, the flagship healthcare model promoted by Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP govt in Delhi
It is worth noting that Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) had launched ‘Mohalla Clinics’ as their flagship healthcare model to strengthen the primary healthcare system in the city. In July 2015, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had inaugurated the first-ever such clinic at Peeragarhi at a cost of Rs 20 lakhs. He had announced that Delhi would soon have 1,000 such clinics. According to a senior health official, there were more than 500 mohalla clinics in Delhi at one point. A mohalla clinic is supposed to consist of a doctor and a midwife-cum-nurse and provide a wide range of diagnostic services and essential medicines free of cost to patients.
Controversies surrounding AAP’s Mohalla clinics
However, soon these Mohalla clinics began facing the ire of the public due to gross negligence and violations of public health. Recently, a case of a toddler falling sick because of dextromethorphan poisoning came to the fore from one such Mohalla clinic in Delhi. The incident took place in January this year when the child was taken seriously ill after she was administered dextromethorphan syrup by a mohalla clinic in the city. The toddler was immediately rushed to Kalawati Saran Children’s Hospital and put on a ventilator support system after suffering from respiratory failure.
This was however the second such case of gross negligiance reported from the Delhi Mohalla clinic in the recent past. Prior to this, in December 2021, 16 children were poisoned and admitted to Kalawati Saran Children’s hospital in New Delhi after allegedly consuming a cough syrup that was administered by a mohalla clinic run by the state government. 3 of those 16 children died in the incident.
Reportedly, an inquiry that was carried out by the central government revealed that the children were poisoned by the drug after it was administered to them on the prescription of the state-run mohalla clinics.
In 2017, AAP govt’s pet scheme Mohalla clinic had come under the scanner of the Vigilance Department after they received complaints that the Mohalla Clinics’ doctors were seeing a very high number of patients during their stipulated clinic hours, which was practically not possible.
It was reported that if one went by records, the doctors were treating as many as 533 patients in 4 hours, which turns out to be about 27 seconds per patient. Rightfully, questions were raised over the quality of the treatment provided if each patient lasts just 27 seconds in front of a doctor.
There were allegations that the doctors were making up false patients as their earnings depend on the number of patients they treat. They reportedly earned about Rs 30 per patient. It was also alleged that the doctors were deliberately giving useless medicines that might ensure repeat visits from the patient, thus further pushing up their earnings.
Furthermore, these clinics have been scrutinised for using unqualified personnel to treat patients and dispense medications. It has also been accused of nepotism after news surfaced that Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain’s daughter was in charge of these clinics.