CM Gupta reverses AAP govt's stand, agrees to sign MoU with Centre for health centres

New Delhi(The Uttam Hindu): The Rekha Gupta government in Delhi is preparing to sign an MoU with the Centre for implementation of the PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), a major reversal of the previous AAP government’s decision to oppose the scheme, an official indicated on Friday.

A big signal of Chief Minister Gupta overturning the previous AAP government’s decision came on Friday with the Delhi government withdrawing a petition from the Supreme Court wherein it had opposed a Delhi High Court direction to enter into an agreement with the Centre for the ABHIM scheme. A Bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and P.K. Mishra on Friday permitted the withdrawal of the petition when Delhi government’s counsel Advocate Jyoti Mendiratta said, "We are going ahead with the implementation of the scheme".

The High Court’s direction to the Delhi government in January came on a 2017 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) which claimed that non-implementation of ABHIM scheme in Delhi was not justified at a time when it was benefitting residents of 33 states and UTs. The High Court had directed the AAP government to implement the ABHIM scheme on pilot basis and scale it up later. The Rekha Gupta government’s decision to work in close cooperation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is in sync with the ruling BJP’s election promise to improve health services in the city.

An indication of the Chief Minister’s priority for improving health services came in her first Cabinet meeting when she unveiled a blueprint to activate 1,139 urban public health centres or Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (U-AAMs) under the ABHIM scheme with an investment of Rs 2,406 crore from the Centre.

To showcase the BJP-led Delhi government’s vision and commitment to improving health services, the Health Department has also been tasked by the CM to set up within 30 days 11 new model U-AAMs – one each in every district – under the supervision of the District Magistrates. An additional 413 Urban Health Centres are to be built to supplement the existing 553 Mohalla Clinics that would also be upgraded to U-AAMs, as per a note prepared by the Health Secretary for the Cabinet’s consideration.

The Rekha Gupta government also plans to expand the coverage of health schemes in gated societies and posh areas by raising the number of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) and enrolling 1 lakh Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries in a month.