The AAP on Friday accused the Delhi government of undermining public healthcare while promoting the sale of alcohol following an official announcement to close 95 ‘mohalla clinics’.
It claimed that the Rekha Gupta government has decided to close 95 Mohalla Clinics.
AAP alleged that the ruling dispensation is systematically shutting down the neighborhood health centers while simultaneously planning to open premium liquor showrooms at metro stations and shopping malls.
AAP’s Delhi unit president, Saurabh Bharadwaj, claimed the government has shifted its justification for the closures multiple times. “First they targeted clinics in rented buildings, then set a one-kilometer radius rule, and now they have extended it to 1.6 kilometers, all to ensure these clinics disappear,” Bharadwaj stated.
He contrasted the approach to healthcare with the expansion of liquor retail. “Their policy appears to be that alcohol must be available at every metro station, but a sick or elderly person should walk kilometers for essential medicines,” Bharadwaj alleged.
The AAP leader warned that the closures would severely impact the poor, elderly, and chronic disease patients who depend on the clinics for free primary care and regular medication. He questioned where residents of areas like Chittaranjan Park and Shapur Jat, where specific clinics are set to close, would now seek treatment.