CHANDIGARH: Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday asked Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to clear the dues of private hospitals to enable the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna beneficiaries to get free healthcare facilities. In a post on X, the BJP leader said, “I urge Bhagwant Mann to clear the dues of the hospitals as soon as possible, for there are many families, especially our hard-working farmers, benefiting under the Ayushman Bharat programme.” “Instead of cheering on the party unit in Delhi, it would suit CM Bhagwant Mann to concentrate on the dwindling state of affairs in Punjab,” he added.Nadda said Ayushman Bharat was conceptualised to aid economically backward families with ensured medical coverage, but due to the mismanagement of the state government, people have lost access to free healthcare. “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,” he said. A statement that Nadda shared on PM Narendra Modi’s portal noted that the Private Hospital and Nursing Home Association in Punjab has stopped cashless treatment under the government’s health insurance schemes, including the AB-PMJAY. In a retort, the AAP demanded funds from the Centre. “Nadda should know that the Centre has held back Punjab’s National Health Mission funds valued at Rs 800 crore for the last two years. We demand that Nadda releases the money that Centre owes to Punjab,” the party said.
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