With the Centre threatening to stop its funding for National Health Mission (NHM) over the turning of health wellness centres (HWCs) into Aam Aadmi Clinics by the state government, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday said the name changing obsession of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was costing Punjabis dearly.

Reacting to Union government’s 6 February letter that it won’t be able to provide the next instalment of around Rs 546 crore to the state government under the NHM as the Punjab government deviated from the mandate and branded HWCs as Aam Aadmi Clinics, SAD leader Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said poor patients would suffer due to the unwarranted ego clash between the Union government and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government.

Dr Cheema said the entire health sector of the state would be in jeopardy in case the Rs 546 crore grant under the NHM was not released to Punjab.

The SAD leader said the AAP Government had already destroyed the established health infrastructure of the state by turning rural dispensaries into Aam Aadmi Clinics through a name changing spree at an exorbitant renovation cost.

 “Primary and community health centres were downgraded in the process and even doctors working in hospitals rendering emergency services were shifted to the Aam Aadmi Clinics to satisfy the whims of AAP,” he added.

Dr Cheema said no recruitment had been done to staff the Clinics due to which existing health services were affected. “Deviation of funds from NHM projects to establish the clinics will also have an adverse impact on NHM staff whose salaries have been jeopardised,” he said.

The SAD leader said the move had also soured Centre-State relations which was not good for Punjab. “More development projects were likely to be affected because the AAP government had diverted central funds for its pet projects which were aimed at bolstering the image of the party instead of public welfare,” he added.

Asking the AAP government to correct its priorities, Dr Cheema said “The need of the hour is to improve tertiary care including providing super specialty services to the people instead of first aid centers”. He said the government should stop resorting to gimmicks and publicity stunts and take genuine steps to strengthen the health infrastructure of the state.