CM launches health initiatives to offer patients timely care

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched a slew of initiatives, including 34 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and eight Jan Aushadhi Kendras (JAKs), to build a “digital, affordable, and accessible” healthcare system in Delhi.

Speaking at the launch event at the Delhi Secretariat, Ms. Gupta said these steps would ensure patients receive timely and efficient care.

The Chief Minister also launched the Hospital Information Management System (HIMS), which will allow patients to book OPD appointments, access lab and radiology reports, view medical records, billing and more — all through a single digital platform.

‘True progress’

“Appointments can now be scheduled from home, eliminating long queues. Once a patient presents their health card, treatment can begin immediately. This is true progress,” Ms. Gupta said.

Officials said training for HIMS-based OPD registration has already been conducted across hospitals, with implementation under way. The system, developed with support from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, will also complement the existing HIMS used for monitoring national health schemes and programmes.

The CM said over 93 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health Account IDs were issued in the Capital, giving every resident a unique digital health identity.

Ms. Gupta said corruption in medicine procurement has been curbed with end-to-end digital processing. “To tackle overpriced medicines, JAKs were opened. Permanent recruitment has also been initiated and over 1,350 nursing posts lying vacant for over a decade have now been filled,” she said.

Three-tier model

On the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Ms. Gupta said they will serve as community-level health centres, offering multiple lab tests and basic services under a three-tier healthcare model covering primary, general, and super-speciality care. “Our goal is to open 15 such centres in every constituency,” she said.

She also criticised the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, saying her administration was “still searching for their so-called health model”.

“Despite all the hype, people of Delhi continued to suffer without basic care. Not even one hospital was completed. Their Mohalla Clinics couldn’t offer basic services like a tetanus injection,” she said.

AAP said in a statement that “the L-G did not start the process of hiring doctors and paramedic staff for new hospitals and blocks despite multiple reminders”.

Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh said the government plans to set up 1,139 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across Delhi. With the additions, 67 centres are now operational.

Each facility offers a package of 12 essential health services, including vaccination, antenatal and postnatal care, mental health, TB and leprosy elimination, screening for non-communicable diseases, along with in-house lab tests, yoga sessions, and telemedicine.

While some Mohalla Clinics have been rebranded and upgraded as Urban-Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the government is scouting for more vacant spaces for expansion.