Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon hailed the Delhi government's Mohalla Clinics and polyclinics on Friday by calling the scheme the "best form of healthcare" and said that the Centre should implement the model across the country.

"I've been to different parts of the world. What I saw today is the best and systematic form of healthcare," the former UN Chief told the media on his first visit to West Delhi's Aam Aadmi clinics.

Accompanying Ban Ki-Moon was former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and other delegates from "The Elders", an independent group of global leaders working together for peace and human rights. They were in the national capital to advocate Universal Health Coverage.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendar Jain accompanied the delegates and showed them the Peeragarhi Mohalla Clinic and Polyclinic in Paschim Vihar.

After visiting the clinics, Ban Ki-Moon said that the Central government should take Delhi government's healthcare model as an example and focus on improving healthcare schemes in the country.

"The neighbouring South Asian countries are spending much more on their health care schemes which means it can be done in India as well. I am hopeful Prime Minister Narendra Modi will also increase the budget allocated to healthcare and take Delhi government's healthcare model as an example to be implemented across India," he said.

Adding to Ban Ki-Moon, Kejriwal said that his government has already built 189 Mohalla clinics in Delhi and now, "after the Supreme Court judgement we are confident of building 1,000 more Mohalla Clinics in the next three months".

The Mohalla Clinics are a flagship project of Delhi's ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) where medicines, diagnostic tests and consultation are provided free of cost.

IANS

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