NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday dedicated 81 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to the people of the national capital on Makar Sankranti, taking the total number of such centres in the city to 319. The new facilities were inaugurated in the Hari Nagar Assembly constituency. The expansion marks progress towards the government’s objective of establishing 15 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in each Assembly constituency and setting up a total of 1,100 centres across Delhi, according to a statement.Gupta inspected the facilities at the Hari Nagar Ayushman Arogya Mandir, including OPD rooms, laboratories, medicine distribution counters, vaccination units and maternal and child healthcare centres.She also reviewed patient registration and digital health record systems and directed officials to ensure transparency, accuracy and ease of access, it said.The chief minister interacted with doctors, nurses and paramedical staff to assess service delivery.Highlighting healthcare initiatives undertaken by the Delhi government, Gupta said these include the establishment of 319 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Jan Aushadhi Kendras, construction of new blocks in five major hospitals, installation of additional dialysis machines and digitisation of government hospitals. She said patients can now access OPD appointments and medical records through mobile phones, improving convenience and transparency.Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, over six lakh people in Delhi have been registered, with thousands of families benefiting from free treatment, she said, adding that the income limit under the EWS category has been raised from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh.Meanwhile, Social Welfare Minister Ravindra Singh Indraj inaugurated two Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in the Bawana Assembly constituency. He said development projects worth over Rs 1,100 crore are underway in the area, including works related to cremation grounds, chaupals, panchayat buildings, roads, drains, sewer lines and pipelines. He also said plans are in progress to develop two villages in Bawana as solar energy-based model villages. Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra also inaugurated an Ayushman Arogya Mandir at the MCW centre in Sonia Vihar, and he said comprehensive development works are underway in Karawal Nagar, including drinking water and sewer lines, electricity infrastructure, highways and metro connectivity. Sewer work will begin in Sabhapur after Sonia Vihar, while metro services are expected to start soon in Sonia Vihar, he added. Health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh inaugurated an Ayushman Arogya Mandir in Bhimnagari, stating that the centre is equipped with OPD services, a dental care unit and a yoga room, with panchakarma services to be introduced soon. He said in-house diagnostic facilities currently cover 100 tests, with plans to expand this to 200. Additionally, Education Minister Ashish Sood inaugurated an Ayushman Arogya Mandir in the Janakpuri Assembly constituency. He said the government is working towards upgrading Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital into a fully equipped super-speciality hospital. He also said additional Arogya Mandirs are being constructed in several parts of Janakpuri and nearby localities, including Mahavir Enclave and Milap Nagar.
