The Government of Delhi introduced the policy of Mohalla Clinics in 2015 in order to improve its health care system. It was aimed at providing primary health care to people in their neighbourhood, with a particular focus on people residing in poor localities of Delhi. This article seeks to assess the role of Mohalla Clinics in the urban health care system. Based on a primary survey conducted in various areas of Delhi, we find that these clinics have helped in easing the pressure on tertiary care hospitals by providing treatment of minor ailments within the vicinity of neighbourhood. Overall, people positively endorse this initiative which contributed to a decline in out-of-pocket expenditure on medicines and tests. We find that Mohalla Clinics are ensuring better geographical access to health services by reducing time in commuting and waiting. Their scope, however, can be further broadened by introducing provisions for pregnant and lactating women, who constitute a major section of the patients visiting these clinics.

Mohalla clinics have not been engaged so far in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, though they have emerged as an important segment of the primary healthcare infrastructure and services in Delhi. In this article, we argue that these clinics could have played a significant role in tackling the virus by carrying out COVID testing and creating awareness among the public about the virus. The states such as Kerala and Himachal Pradesh, which have successfully mitigated the corona crisis, in comparison, have effectively employed their well-developed primary healthcare system during the pandemic. Drawing from these experiences, we conclude with policy suggestions to make the mohalla clinics an integral part of the strategy to fight this public health crisis in the national capital.

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