Veena George writes to Centre seeking funds
Health Minister, Veena George, has written to the Union Health Minister appealing that the Centre sanctions the ₹637 crore cash grant it was to have given Kerala for the activities of National Health Mission (NHM) in the financial year 2023-24 as well as the first instalment of the current year’s financial allotment.
In her letter to the Union Health Minister, Ms. George said that the Centre’s refusal to allow the Central share of the NHM grant had been squeezing the State’s health sector, affecting many activities which were crucial to public health.
Emergency ambulance services, availability of biomedical equipment, the salaries of the 13,000-odd NHM employees, incentives due to ASHAs, palliative care activities and dialysis services had all been affected across the State because of the funds squeeze that the State was being put through, she said.
These activities are being barely held together in the State now, utilising State Government’s share to NHM and hence the Central grant due to the State should be released without delay, Ms. George appealed.
The issue of the Centre’s refusal to disburse the chunk of the NHM grant due to the State in 2023-24 (approximately ₹826 crore) allegedly because of the State’s refusal to co-brand those projects which were being implemented using Central funds, has been burning in the background for quite long.
The funds shortage had affected all activities of NHM and the NHM employees had been forced to go on a strike in March this year demanding that they be paid their salaries which had been pending for over two months.
Ms. George herself had said earlier in the year that despite complying with the co-branding exercise, the NHM funds had not been released.
- Telegram
SEE ALL
PRINT