What is Mohalla Clinics? Offering Speedy Healthcare to the Common Masses

Mohalla Clinics have been a healthcare hit in newspapers. It is a new initiative by AAP Government in Delhi, launched in 2015.  Let’s tell you about the basic primary healthcare system, how it works, and what benefits it has brought to the ordinary citizen in Delhi.

What Are Mohalla Clinics in Delhi?

Basically, Mohalla Clinics are primary health centers or PHCs at the community level. They are established in every locality reachable within 5 kilometers. They are equipped to offer a primary diagnostic, free doctor consultation, free medicine. They have brought big ease for the communities living within the area. The reaches to general medication, timely services, and free healthcare services have got wide popularity among common masses of Delhi.

Medical Facility/ Services at Mohalla Clinic in Delhi

Some basic healthcare facilities at Mohalla Clinics are listed here:

• Free consultation by a qualified MBBS doctor
• Fast diagnosis of general illness -Dengue, Malaria, Cold, Cough, Fever, Jaundice, Ulcers, etc.
• Around 212 pathology tests
• Free medicines
• Trained and qualified doctors

How to Find Your Nearest Mohalla Clinic in Delhi?

These are the most easily approachable healthcare facilities. Hence, you can locate your nearest Mohalla Clinic on Google Map just by typing “Mohalla Clinic near me”. You can reach them by auto, DTC Bus, or even rickshaw. This is particularly excellent service in emergency needs and small health issues. Mohalla Clinics in Delhi has found acceptance by people as it saves cost on travel and reduces the medical budget for primary healthcare.

How Mohalla Clinics Are Beneficial to Delhiites?

The biggest benefit of these Mohalla Clinics has been to low-income families. Following are the reasons:

• They help reduce the financial burden on the low-income households because consultation services are completely free whereas a general physician costs minimum INR 200 to 1000 depending on your locality.
• Secondly, it has reduced the waiting time due to small community coverage. Since each Mohalla Clinic caters to a small population, patients don’t have to stay in the queue. The biggest hardship of common people is solved and they don’t have to face government hospitals for basic treatment. This has offered access to healthcare to even daily-wage laborers and poorest strata of society.
• Thirdly, it saves huge cost and time in travel that is critical for a patient. Since Mohalla clinic set up for a particular neighborhood it is reachable easily within minutes. The patient can reach without wasting time and travel cost.
• Also, these facilities are good for treating minor ailments and ease the burden or tertiary healthcare facilities to free up more space for critical patients. It has increased the efficiency of the healthcare system. There are many clinics even established in “Rain Basera” or Night Shelters for vagabonds and homeless. Thus, it offers inclusive healthcare to the most marginalized social group.

Some Criticism of Mohalla Clinics

Although Mohalla Clinics have found wide acclaim among health specialists, poor masses, and the medical community; it has also drawn flak from many. It is alleged that the government hasn’t been able to target the time-frame. The government has failed to establish as many Mohalla Clinics in Delhi as it had promised.

The uniform healthcare facilities couldn’t be offered at all clinics. Some Mohalla Clinics offer Family Planning, male sterilization, and vaccination while others doesn’t.

The clinics are also facing a lack of staff and all the 212 pathology tests promised are yet to reach the poor masses.

Monitoring clinics for the facility they are offering is also tough and many times concerns like corruption have been raised.

In spite of all odds, Mohalla Clinics by Delhi Government has received a lot of appreciation as well.

1. Former UN secretary general Kofi Annan and former Director General of WHO Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland have praised the initiative. However, there is a need to constantly monitor, improve and check the implementation along with removing hurdles.