Karnataka Minister Praises Delhi’s Mohalla Clinics, Then Does A U-Turn

New Delhi:

Hours after praising the AAP authorities’s Mohalla Clinic initiative, Karnataka Well being Minister and Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday stated it’s “overhyped” and he was left “disillusioned” after a go to to 1 such facility.

The Aam Aadmi Occasion (AAP), in an announcement, alleged that Mr Rao obtained a telephone name after praising the mohalla clinic initiative and thereafter modified his stance.

Mr Rao alone can make clear why his assertion modified from praising the mohalla clinic to criticising it, the AAP stated, including it was “unlucky”.

The Congress and the AAP are members of the opposition INDIA bloc.

On Friday, Mr Rao visited an ‘Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic’ at Panchsheel Park in Delhi. He was accompanied by Delhi Well being Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and Karnataka Bhavan medical officer Karthik, in line with an official assertion.

Nearly 4 hours after praising the mohalla clinic initiative, Gundu Rao made a U-turn.

“Visited a mohalla clinic in Delhi with hardly any folks there. Our clinics in Karnataka have extra services, together with a laboratory, to do rapid exams for sufferers,” the Congress chief tweeted. “I suppose it’s overhyped and I got here again feeling disillusioned,” he stated on Twitter.

Through the go to, the Karnataka minister noticed the services on the mohalla clinic and enquired concerning the welfare of staffers.

Chatting with reporters throughout his go to to the Panchsheel Park mohalla clinic, Mr Rao had praised the mohalla clinic mannequin and stated that it’s functioning “very properly”.

“I had heard quite a bit about mohalla clinics and I wished to see them personally. I wished to debate how they (AAP authorities) are implementing the well being insurance policies,” he had instructed reporters.

“In southern states akin to Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, well being has all the time been a precedence. Each state has bought one thing good that we will be taught from. We have now one thing related (to mohalla clinics)… now we have ‘namma clinics’. We wished to see how we will enhance our system. I noticed the mohalla clinic and it’s functioning very properly Persons are additionally appreciating it,” he had stated.

The AAP stated the comparability between the mohalla clinic and namma clinic is “unjust”.

“Dinesh Gundu Rao obtained a telephone name. Following the decision, he talked about an necessary assembly and left the situation. Some time later, he tweeted criticising the mohalla clinic. Nevertheless, solely Dinesh Rao can make clear why his assertion modified from praising the mohalla clinic to criticising it after the telephone name.

“In his tweet, he claimed that Namma Clinic in Karnataka had higher infrastructure than Mohalla Clinic. To confirm this declare, Aam Aadmi Occasion’s Karnataka crew visited a Namma Clinic in his constituency.

“They discovered that each Namma Clinic and Major Well being Centre had been positioned adjoining to one another. Individuals talked about that the Major Well being Centre had been closed for a very long time. Namma Clinic, in actuality, is only a title. It was initiated by the BJP authorities. The clinic gives solely main remedy for some sicknesses like fever. Sufferers are referred to different hospitals…,” the AAP stated.

The comparability between Namma Clinic and Delhi’s Mohalla Clinic is unjust, the AAP stated, including mohalla clinics are well-equipped and remedy is supplied freed from price.

The declare made by Rao that Namma Clinic’s infrastructure is superior to Mohalla Clinic is “false”. Namma Clinic lacks good services, it alleged.

The Delhi authorities’s mohalla clinic is a neighbourhood facility for offering free main healthcare to residents. The mohalla clinic programme is among the many flagship initiatives of the Arvind Kejriwal authorities to spice up the first healthcare system in Delhi.

In his interplay with reporters throughout his go to to the Panchsheel Park mohalla clinic, the Congress minister was additionally requested whether or not this go to was deliberate since they’re allies now, to which he stated this can be a “division” matter and never a “political” one.

“Alliance is a unique situation and a political one. We’ll go to different states. Rajasthan has a well being coverage. It may be a BJP state additionally (the place we will go to). That’s the idea of federalism,” he stated.

Slamming the BJP-led Centre, he stated that it “is making a scenario the place this method of working collectively is getting misplaced”.

“They take a look at opposition-ruled states as enemies. Politically they offer hassle they usually even hassle the state governments. The (providers) ordinance is overruling folks’s points. When you weaken an elected authorities it weakens democracy. Trade of views is one thing that’s good and ought to be achieved all the time. I’ve additionally prolonged invitation to Delhi well being minister to see what’s being achieved on varied fronts (in Karnataka),” he instructed reporters.

Mr Bharadwaj stated his Karnataka counterpart instructed him about how good the hospitals are within the southern state. “We may also go to his state. All states ought to be taught from one another. I’m very joyful that they’ve come right here,” he stated.

Earlier within the day, quote-tweeting Mr Bharadwaj’s tweets on Gundu Rao’s go to, Mr Kejriwal had stated Delhi will be taught from the nice work achieved by the Karnataka authorities.

“Karnataka well being minister visits Delhi mohalla clinics. We welcome him and his crew. All of us must be taught from one another. Delhi may also be taught from the nice work achieved by Karnataka govt,” he had tweeted.

Presently, there are greater than 500 mohalla clinics within the nationwide capital that provide free main healthcare providers to sufferers, together with 212 several types of medical exams.