New Delhi: JP Nadda, Union Health Minister slammed the Punjab Government on the issue of mismanagement of Ayushman Bharat funds and has urged Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to clear the dues of the hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat programme. Nadda was reacting over the announcement of The Private Hospital and Nursing Home Association (PHANA) to halt to cashless treatments under the government’s health insurance schemes.
In an X post J P Nadda said, “Ayushman Bharat was conceptualised to aid the economically backward families with ensured medical cover, and today, due to the mismanagement of the state government, under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in Punjab, people have lost access to free healthcare”. Questioning Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Nadda stated, “Why has Chief Minister Mann’s government not cleared the dues of the private hospitals? Before the elections, they promised more clinics and health centres, but today, his government cannot work for the cause of the poor”. “I urge CM Mann to clear the dues of the hospitals as soon as possible, for there are many families, especially our hardworking farmers, benefitting under the Ayushman Bharat programme. Instead of cheering on the party unit in Delhi, it would suit to CM Mann to concentrate on the dwindling state of affairs in Punjab”, Nadda added.
It may recalled that Punjab Health MInister Dr Balbir Singh had debunked PHANA’s ₹600-cr arrear claim, calls it “false and misleading.” He said that the total ₹364-cr pending amount for both public and private hospitals, ₹197-cr owed to private hospitals.
