Ayushman Bharat heath centres Release of funds to Punjab dependent on compliance with guidelines

New Delhi, Aug 8 (PTI) Punjab has not taken up the branding of Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres and the release of funds to the state is dependent on compliance with these guidelines, the central governmen told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
     All states and UTs have been requested to ensure the branding of all Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) in rural and urban areas, as per the design manual shared by the Ministry of Health with all the states and UTs on May 30, 2018.
     It was also reiterated on February 1 and March 17 this year, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said in a written reply.
     All states and UTs execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Centre as per the framework of the National Health Mission (NHM) which mandates compliance by the states with the guidelines issued under it.
     Further, several initiatives have been taken for strengthening healthcare systems to cater to future healthcare needs.
     The PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crores till 2025-26 envisages increased investments in public health and other health reforms to provide better access in rural areas by strengthening Health and Wellness Centres in villages and cities for early detection of diseases.
     It also aims to add new critical care-related beds at district-level hospitals; support for Block Public Health Units (BPHU) in 11 high-focus states and  Integrated district public health laboratories in all districts, Pawar said.
     An amount of Rs. 755.65  crore has been allocated to the state of Punjab for   2021-22 to 2025-26 for the implementation of PM-ABHIM for the establishment of 22 Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHLs) and 21 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs), she said responding to a question on whether the government has taken any new initiative to strengthen health care system in Punjab.
     The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) has recommended grants through local governments for specific components of the health sector to the tune of Rs 70,051 crores and the same have been accepted by the Union Government, Pawar said.
     These grants for health through local governments will be spread over the five years from financial year 2021-22 to fiscal 2025-26 and will facilitate the strengthening of the health system at the grass-root level.
     For Punjab, the Commission has recommended Rs 2,131 Cr over the five-year period from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26.
     The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) aims at correcting regional imbalances in the availability of affordable tertiary healthcare services and to augment facilities for quality medical education in the country.
     The scheme has two components ---setting up of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and upgradation of existing government medical colleges and institutions (GMCIs), Pawar said in the written reply.
     So far setting up of 22 new AIIMS (Establishment of One new AIIMS, Bhatinda in Punjab) and 75 projects of upgradation of GMCIs have been approved under the scheme in various phases.  

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)