Kerala objects to renaming of PHCs

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday alleged that the BJP-ruled Centre was trying to “steal” the credit for the state’s achievements in healthcare by renaming primary health centers as ‘Ayushman Arogya Mandir’.

Vijayan said the Centre’s direction to complete the renaming of primary health centres by December 31 was “not healthy”.

The CM said that the primary health centres in the state were a model for the country as they provide more services as compared to those in other states.

He questioned why the renaming was being forced when the health sector was fully under the control of the states.

The CM alleged that the Centre was withholding various grants, allocations and central share in projects by claiming that Kerala had not carried out co-branding.

He said this was not correct as the state had carried out co-branding in 99 per cent of the 6,825 healthcare institutions and conveyed the same to the Union Health Ministry in October last year.

“Due to non-availability of central funds, incentives for Asha workers, free check-ups, free treatments, salaries of doctors appointed by NHM, biomedical management, etc. are all in crisis,” he claimed while speaking at the Nava Kerala Sadas, an outreach programme of the state government, in Malappuram district of Kerala.

The CM also listed out the various achievements by Kerala in healthcare, like least maternal and child mortality, most free treatments, the first state to launch Antibiogram, the first to implement the Mother Child Friendly Hospital Initiative, the state where more than 6,500 babies were given free heart surgery, etc. PTI