On Tuesday, Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh criticized the Maharashtra government, accusing it of engaging in emotional politics in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. Shaikh alleged that the government was creating a false impression of development by renaming health centers and sub-centers instead of addressing the pressing need to enhance infrastructure.
In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Health Minister Tanaji Sawant, Shaikh called for an improvement in facilities and an increase in the provision of health infrastructure, rather than renaming health centers as Ayushman Health Temples. The move to rename 8,128 sub-centers, 1,861 primary health centers, 609 civil primary health centers, 254 Ayush sub-centers, and 394 civil health centers to ‘Ayushyaman Arogya Mandir-Arogyam Param Dhanam’ was initiated following directions from the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in November 2023.
Highlighting the deplorable state of health centers in the state, Shaikh pointed out that half of the positions in these centers remain vacant. He criticized the allocation of only 3.67% of the state budget to the health department, emphasizing that the revised budget for the year 2023-24 reduced provisions compared to the previous fiscal year. Shaikh lamented the lack of medicines in government hospitals, the absence of a Health Director for five months, and the non-implementation of recommendations to prevent maternal and child mortality.
Shaikh further noted instances of patient deaths in government hospitals in Chandrapur, Nanded, Thane-Kalwa, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He accused the government of attempting to create an emotional atmosphere by renaming health centers amidst the deplorable state of the state’s health infrastructure. According to Shaikh, the government’s announcements regarding free health facilities and insurance coverage for 12 crore citizens have proven to be fraudulent.
