The Maharashtra government has been pushing for HBT clinics under the Aapla Dawakhana scheme all over the state, but due to alleged inaction by the Aarey administration, tribals in Aarey Milk Colony are unable to avail of them. It has been over 7 months since the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) health department wrote letters to the Aarey Milk Colony administration requesting a space to start HBT container clinics, but so far it has not received permission for this. This inaction has irked the people staying in the 28 tribal hamlets and residents of slum pockets, as they have no option left but to go outside Aarey for basic health facilities.

To provide better health services at peoples’ doorsteps and lower the burden of secondary and tertiary care civic hospitals, the BMC came up with the Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray clinics (HBT clinics) and polyclinics under the government’s Aapla Dawakhana scheme. The clinics are opened mostly in slum pockets to cater to locals. In some pockets, there are container clinics, while some have been opened in existing structures. The BMC has covered almost all the corners of the city with 92 HBT clinics, out of which 28 are container clinics and 15 are polyclinics.