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Aam Aadmi Clinics branding row: Will block ayushman funds, central govt warns Punjab
The Union health ministry may stop the funding for Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres in Punjab, accusing the state government to covert these centres into Aam Aadmi Clinics on the lines of party’s flagship Mohalla Clinic project in Delhi.
New Delhi
The Union health ministry may stop the funding for Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres in Punjab, accusing the state government to covert these centres into Aam Aadmi Clinics on the lines of party’s flagship Mohalla Clinic project in Delhi, according to people familiar with the matter.
Close to 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) across the country have been established with 60:40 contribution by the Centre and state under the central government-sponsored Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
And based on the MoU signed between the Centre and states, the state needs to adhere to certain guidelines, including branding guidelines, formulated by the Centre to run these clinics uniformly across the country. According to senior officials in the health ministry, the Punjab government has been violating the operational guidelines under the MoU, which is unacceptable.
In a letter to the state government on February 6, the ministry said that the state has vitiated the spirit of the scheme and “defaulted” on its commitment by branding AB-HWCs as Aam Aadmi Clinics and “not adhering” to the provisions of the memorandum on the implementation of the scheme.
“The state has violated the provisions of Clause 10.3 and 10.10 of MoU and has stopped implementing the AB-HWC component of NHM (National Health Mission), therefore releases to the State under NHM do not appear feasible as per provisions of Clause 13 of the MOU,” read the letter signed by Roli Singh, additional secretary and mission director, National Health Mission.
“The state has also executed a MoU with the government of India as per NHM framework which mandates compliance of guidelines issued under NHM by the state. However, it is seen that the State is still not complying with the branding requirements in case of PHC-HWCs in urban and rural areas…,” read the letter.
The scheme is partially sponsored under Union health ministry’s NHM.
A senior government functionary, requesting anonymity, added: “The Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) is formulated with 60:40 ratio of Centre and state. If a state changes the scheme during implementation, then the funds being released from the Centre will be stopped as technically there is no central scheme functional in the state. What the state government is promoting really is their own project which they should fund themselves.”
The state was asked to stop from deviations of the guidelines and ensure branding as per the guidelines issued earlier by Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
The health ministry official said Punjab has been given ₹1,114 crore in 2022-23 under the scheme. The official source said that states like Telangana too have partially deviated from implementing the scheme and the ministry has asked for corrections, which they have agreed to.
The officials cited above said that around 3,029 sub-health centres, primary health centres, and urban Health centres have been converted into Aam Aadmi Clinics in Punjab.
Punjab rubbishes allegations
The state government, however, rubbished the allegations.
Punjab health minister Dr Balbir Singh termed the charges levied by the Union health ministry baseless and said there was no question of misutilisation of funds as the money meant for health are being spent on health only.
“The Aam Aadmi Clinics have raised the standard of health services in the hinterlands as 75% of the clinics set up by us have come up in rural areas,” said the health minister.
He said rather the Union health ministry should visit these clinics and watch the model to implement it in the entire country. “Moreover, health is a state subject and the Centre should not interfere in that,” added the minister.
(With inputs from Punjab bureau)
