Punjab branding Ayushman Bharat centres as Mohalla Clinics: Centre

New Delhi: In a fresh tug of war over utilisation of funds meant for augmenting healthcare facilities, the Union Health Ministry has warned the Punjab government of stopping the funds for scheme of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) by saying that Punjab government was converting AB-HWC into Mohalla Clinics, which is a pet project of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

In a letter written to the state government on February 6, the ministry had 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,” NHM additional secretary and mission director Roli Singh said in the letter.

On the issue, a senior official in the health ministry said, “The Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) is formulated with a 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.”

According to the guidelines issued earlier by Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan, the state (Punjab) was asked to stop from deviations of the guidelines and ensure branding as per the norms.

The health ministry official further said that Punjab has been given Rs 1,114 crore in 2022-23 under the scheme.

The official also said that states like Telangana too have partially deviated from implementing the scheme and the ministry has asked for corrections.

Around 3,029 sub-health centres, primary health centres and urban health centres have been converted into

Mohalla Clinics in Punjab, the official said.