Govt panned on renaming health centres

Mumbai: The state’s public health department has come under criticism from the opposition for renaming its public health centres as ‘Ayushman Health Mandir’ (temples). Samajwadi Party MLA from Bhiwandi (East) Rais Shaikh said the Shinde-Fadnavis government was playing emotional politics in the run-up to the elections and spreading the illusion of development. Shaikh wrote a letter to public health minister Tanaji Sawant on Tuesday, demanding that the state needs to instead ramp up its health infrastructure.There are 8,128 sub-centres, 1,861 primary health centres, 609 civil primary health centres, 254 Ayush sub-centres and 394 civil health centres. These centres were earlier converted into Aarogyavardhini Kendras and will now be renamed ‘Ayushyaman Arogya Mandir-Arogyam Param Dhanam’. Following central directive in Nov 2023, director of National Health Mission has ordered all collectors and CEO-Zilla Parishad to implement it. — Chaitanya Marpakwar