Registration for Ayushman Bharat to start later this month: Delhi health minister

Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh announced on Thursday that the registration process for the Ayushman Bharat scheme will begin after March 8, marking a crucial step in expanding healthcare access across the capital.

At a press conference, Singh revealed that the Delhi government is set to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to implement the scheme. He assured that significant improvements in the city’s healthcare system would be evident within 100 days.

To enhance transparency, the minister said the government has appointed two nodal officers to oversee hospital bed allotments and the EWS quota. He also assured that no government hospital in Delhi would face a shortage of medicines.

Taking aim at the previous AAP-led administration, Singh alleged that nearly 2,500 mohalla clinics existed only on paper, with rent funds being misused. “We have issued orders to shut down such clinics to curb corruption,” he stated.

The minister also highlighted a concerning statistic: nearly 20% of childbirths in Delhi occur outside hospitals. He emphasized the government’s goal to promote institutional deliveries to improve maternal and infant healthcare.

In a bid to extend healthcare services to underserved areas, Singh announced that mobile dental vans would soon be deployed to the city’s outskirts.

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Issuing a stern warning, he said, “Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will not be spared,” reaffirming his commitment to reforming Delhi’s healthcare system.