Objecting to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s proposal of opening mohalla clinics in over 300 government schools, parents in the national capital have approached Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal,
Objecting to the Aam Aadmi Party government’s proposal of opening mohalla clinics in over 300 government schools, parents in the national capital have approached Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging him to reconsider the decision.
“How can you permit outsiders in schools during school hours If the clinic is exclusively for school students, it is welcome. But if it for general public, opening of such clinics within school premises is not permissible by law,” the All-India Parents’ Association said in a letter to the chief minister. “We have serious objection to that. If it is done, it would not only be against the students’ interest, but also violate high court orders attracting initiation of contempt proceedings against you,” the letter added.
The AAP government had recently announced that it was considering opening mohalla clinics, which would be open to general public too, in as many as 300 government schools.
In 2002, the Delhi high court had directed a MCD school in Bawana to remove a dispensary from its premises as it led to the entry of outsiders in the school, which disturbed the students. “Moreover, the dispensary employees used to throw medical waste, including used syringes, in the playground which were picked up by the schoolchildren, putting their lives in danger. The high court held that the school premises cannot be allowed to be used for opening a dispensary that is open to outsiders,” the association said.
In a bid to decongest government hospitals and make healthcare accessible to all, the Delhi government has adopted a “three-tier public health roadmap.”
Mohalla clinics, which are people’s first contact point with the healthcare system, will refer patients needing a specialist to the next level, the polyclinics. In turn, the polyclinics will refer patients who require surgery or hospitalisation to a multi-speciality hospital.
