Mohalla Clinic doctors meet Delhi Speaker, demand job security

A delegation of doctors working at Mohalla Clinics met Delhi Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta earlier this week and demanded that they be absorbed into the government’s Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs).

Some AAMs, which offer free primary healthcare services, are revamped Mohalla Clinics, which were started by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, while many others are in the process of being rebranded.

In their meeting with the Speaker on July 29, the doctors expressed concern over their job security. Mr. Gupta assured his support to the delegation, saying he will raise their concerns with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, the Delhi Mohalla Clinic Doctors’ Association said on Thursday.

It added that more than 2,000 employees, including 500 doctors, of Mohalla Clinics are at risk of losing their jobs.

The BJP government has opened 67 of the 1,139 AAMs it aims to establish in the national capital by next year. New employees have been appointed at these clinics.

According to officials, there are 553 Mohalla Clinics in the Capital, of which over 250 clinics are proposed to be shut. These clinics are still functioning under the same name but with all posters and banners of AAP and its chief, Arvind Kejriwal, removed.

While the Chief Minister had earlier assured the doctors working at Mohalla Clinics that they would not lose their jobs, the Health Department had in April notified that the current employees could continue their services up to a year or until fresh appointments are made.

Key concerns

“The cause for concern was clauses in the annual contract order, which directed the termination of services of all [Mohalla Clinic] employees and appointment of new staff,” the association said.

Another concern is the different selection criteria for AAM employees.

The association emphasised that many employees of Mohalla Clinics had been recruited based on merit through a written exam conducted by the Delhi government in 2018.

Dr. Ramesh Bansal, one of the members of the delegation, said, “We welcome the upgradation of facilities and the rebranding of clinics, but it should not come at the cost of our employment.”