Punjab govt converting Ayushman Bharat wellness centres into mohalla clinics: Health Ministry

A Mohalla Clinic (File Image)

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has accused the Punjab government of allegedly converting Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness centres -- funded largely by the Union government -- into mohalla clinics.

The Health Ministry has warned the state government that it will stop allocating funds under the scheme if the Punjab government is found to be violating the terms.

The Health Ministry in a letter to the Punjab Government on February 6 said the state has vitiated the provisions of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the state and Centre.

"The state has violated the provisions of Clause 10.3 and 10.10 of MoU and have stopped implementing the AB-HWC component of NHM, therefore releases to the State under NHM do not appear feasible as per provisions of Clause 13 of the MOU," said Roli Singh, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission in the letter.

Singh said that "by not adhering to the provisions of MoU and not following the guidelines issued for AB-HWCs and developing the branding of these facilities as Aam Aadmi Clinics, state has vitiated the spirit of the scheme of Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness centres and defaulted on its commitment".

An official source from Health Ministry said that any deviation from the MoU will lead to stoppage of funds from the Centre.

"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 money going from centre will stop," a top Health Ministry official said.

Punjab has been asked to immediately stop any practice that violates the terms of the MoU and ensure branding as per the guidelines vide the letter from Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

As per Health Ministry officials, Punjab has been allocated Rs 1,114 crore in the year 2022-23 under the scheme.

As per government officials, states like Telangana and Andhra Pradesh were also found to be deviating from the proper implementation of the scheme; they however, rectified it later.