Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Singh announced on Thursday that the registration process for the Ayushman Bharat scheme will begin after March 8, marking a significant step toward expanding healthcare access in the national capital.
Speaking at a press conference, Singh said that the Delhi government would soon sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre to implement the scheme. He also assured that fundamental changes in the city's healthcare system would be visible within 100 days.
The minister emphasised the strict monitoring of hospital bed allotments and EWS quotas, with two nodal officers appointed to ensure transparency. He assured that no government hospital in Delhi would face a shortage of medicines.
Focusing on economically weaker sections (EWS), he said that all hospitals must provide treatment in accordance with government-mandated standards. He also instructed the health department to discourage excessive local purchasing of medicines and to promote affordable healthcare schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY). Officials were asked to submit a report on medicines procured from local companies in previous years.
Additionally, Singh directed that each government hospital have a dedicated medical director or superintendent, ensuring that no official holds additional responsibilities for multiple hospitals.
Emphasising safety, he ordered a comprehensive audit of all government hospitals and ongoing healthcare projects in Delhi.
Criticising the previous AAP-led government, Singh claimed that nearly 2,500 Mohalla Clinics existed only on paper, with rent expenses being misused. "An order has been passed to shut down such clinics to curb corruption," he said.
Singh also highlighted that around 20 per cent of childbirths in Delhi occur outside hospitals, a statistic the government aims to improve by promoting institutional deliveries.
The minister further said that mobile dental vans would soon be deployed to the outskirts of the city to provide medical services to underserved populations. In the initial phase, 10 mobile units will be deployed, with plans to expand the initiative across the city.
Meanwhile, Singh directed the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to ensure that nursing homes and private health centres meet all safety and operational standards before obtaining registration.
"Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will not be spared," the minister warned, adding, "We will make government hospitals better than private ones." Additionally, to improve transparency and efficiency, he announced that future meetings with hospital directors would be conducted via video conferencing, with necessary technical support from the IT department.
The meeting was attended by medical directors and superintendents of all government hospitals, along with senior officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Food Safety, and the Health and Family Welfare departments.
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