The cash-starved Panjab govt. might have found a middle path to seek the grants held up under National Health Mission (NHM). The govt. has proposed to the union govt. that it would re-name the Aam Aadmi Clinics as Ayushman Arogya Centres, instead of Ayushman Arogya Mandir. While the ruling AAP has given up the label ‘Aam Aadmi’ which is part of the political party’s name, it expects the BJP union govt. to also give up the fixation on mandir (temple). At stake is the NHM grant amounting to $13.5M. The union govt. withheld these funds over Panjab’s failure to comply with branding guidelines and disagreements over levies, impacting critical infrastructure projects like rural road repairs. Beyond the NHM funds, Panjab is also negotiating with the union govt. for the release of the Rural Development Fund and Mandi Development Fund, totalling $81.7M. The state Finance Department has warned that without a fresh infusion of funds, salaries for August may not be paid. Health services were paralysed in Panjab on 17 Aug with all private hospitals under the banner of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) deciding not to provide outpatient department (OPD) and other routine health services in protest against the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. According to the IMA, only emergency surgeries were conducted by the private hospitals throughout Panjab. In government health facilities, the OPD services remained hit for the second consecutive day. The strike has been nationwide and now the Supreme Court of India has conducted a suo moto hearing on the case.
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