New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday inaugurated 81 new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the national Capital on the occasion of Makar Sankranti.

Speaking to reporters, Gupta said that with the addition of these new centres, healthcare access for Delhi’s residents would significantly improve.

“We have inaugurated 81 new Arogya Mandirs today on Makar Sankranti. Before this, 238 Arogya Mandirs were already functioning. With these additions, we are providing more comfortable and accessible healthcare facilities to the people of Delhi,” she said.

The Chief Minister explained that Ayushman Arogya Mandirs function as primary healthcare centres and play a crucial role in strengthening the city’s health infrastructure.

“These centres work like primary hospitals. They will reduce the burden on major hospitals and help address key health issues faced by the people of the national Capital. Citizens will be able to avail themselves of essential medical facilities closer to their homes,” she added.

Gupta further stated that the Delhi government has set an ambitious target of inaugurating 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the city and is actively working to achieve this goal in the coming months.

BJP MLA Satish Upadhyay said, “Today, the way these Arogya Mandirs are being constructed is remarkable, and 81 Arogya Mandirs will be dedicated to Delhi. This is the eighth Arogya Mandir in our Bhim Nagar and Malviya Nagar constituency, and two more Arogya Mandirs are yet to be built.”

On Tuesday, Delhi Health Minister Pankaj Kumar Singh had said that the initiative will significantly strengthen accessible and preventive healthcare services for residents.

With this expansion, total centres will rise to 319 across the national Capital, he added.

“With this addition, Delhi is steadily progressing toward the establishment of more than 1,100 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, as envisioned under the national Capital’s long-term primary healthcare road map,” he said.

“At present, 238 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational. Following tomorrow’s inauguration, the total number of functioning centres will rise to 319 across Delhi,” Minister Singh added.

“These centres represent a major step in the Delhi government’s mission to provide free, accessible, and dignified primary healthcare close to every household. The initiative is being implemented under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, in line with the national vision of ‘Healthcare for All’,” the Minister said.

He added that each Ayushman Arogya Mandir will offer free doctor consultations, essential medicines, and diagnostic tests, along with screening for diabetes, hypertension, cancer, maternal and child healthcare, immunisation support, growth monitoring, lifestyle counselling, mental health services, and preventive health programmes such as yoga and nutrition guidance.

“These neighbourhood-level facilities will significantly reduce pressure on major hospitals, ensuring timely care for women, senior citizens, and low-income families without long travel or queues.”

“Parallel to the expansion of Arogya Mandirs, Delhi continues to strengthen coverage under both the Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and the Ayushman Bharat-Vaya Vandana Yojana (AB-VVY). As on 13 January 2026, a total of 6,91,530 health cards (combined PM-JAY + VVY) have been issued in Delhi, including 2,65,895 VVY cards,” Minister Singh said.

The Health Minister had said that to ensure seamless access to secondary and tertiary care, Delhi now has 189 empanelled hospitals, comprising 138 private hospitals, 41 Delhi government hospitals, and 10 Central government hospitals.

“These empanelled institutions provide cashless treatment, ensuring that financially vulnerable families can receive lifesaving care without cost barriers,” he added.

–IANS

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