Registration for Ayushman Bharat to start later this month: Delhi health minister

New Delhi: 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 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 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.

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.

Additionally, mobile dental vans will soon be deployed in the outskirts of the city to provide medical services to underserved populations, he said.

"Anyone found guilty of wrongdoing will not be spared," the minister warned, reiterating his commitment to overhauling Delhi's healthcare system.