Centre warns Punjab govt against 'branding' Ayushman Bharat centres as Mohalla Clinics
New Delhi, February 21: Union Health Ministry warned the Punjab government against converting Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) into Mohalla Clinics. The Ayushman Bharat Centres are funded by the Government of India.
The Ministry accused the Punjab Government of violating the provisions of clause 13 of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the state and the Centre in a letter dated February 6.
"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," Additional Secretary and Mission Director of National Health Mission (NHM), Roli Singh said.
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"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," the letter from the official added.
Meanwhile, an official source from the Health Ministry stated that any deviations from the MoU agreement would result in the cessation of Centre funds.
"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."
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- ANI
