Punjab Government Announces Expansion of Urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras

Strategic Insights -

The Punjab government has reached a consensus with the Centre over the rebranding of Aam Aadmi Clinics, which has led to an announcement to set up 208 additional urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras across the state. The decision aims to strengthen access to healthcare services, with officials claiming that the 242 existing urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras have significantly reduced residents' out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure. These centres provide free treatment, 80 types of free medicines, and 38 types of free diagnostic tests to the residents.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Punjab government has announced plans to set up 208 additional urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras across the state, adding to the existing 242 centres.
  • The new centres will provide free treatment, 80 types of free medicines, and 38 types of free diagnostic tests to the residents.
  • The expansion follows a resolution to a long-standing conflict between the Punjab government and the Union health ministry over the branding of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres.
  • The state government has directed deputy commissioners and civil surgeons to identify suitable buildings in line with prescribed norms for establishing the new centres.
  • The respective districts allocated for the new health facilities include Ludhiana (42), Jalandhar (26), Amritsar (23), Gurdaspur (20), Sangrur (9), and eight others with 8 facilities each in Bathinda, Fazilka, Muktsar, and Pathankot.
  • The dispute over rebranding the clinics led to the suspension of National Health Mission (NHM) funds amounting to Rs 112 crore for the financial year 2022-23 and Rs 366.41 crore for 2023-24.
  • Deputy commissioners and civil surgeons were asked to submit their location reports by 12 May 2025.

Statistics:

  • 208: The number of additional urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras to be set up across the state.
  • 242: The number of existing urban Ayushman Arogya Kendras.
  • 80: The number of types of free medicines provided by the centres.
  • 38: The number of types of free diagnostic tests provided by the centres.
  • 42: The number of new health facilities to be set up in Ludhiana.
  • 26: The number of new health facilities to be set up in Jalandhar.
  • 23: The number of new health facilities to be set up in Amritsar.
  • 20: The number of new health facilities to be set up in Gurdaspur.
  • 9: The number of new health facilities to be set up in Sangrur.
  • Rs 112 crore: The amount of suspended National Health Mission (NHM) funds for the financial year 2022-23.
  • Rs 366.41 crore: The amount of suspended National Health Mission (NHM) funds for the financial year 2023-24.

Sources:

  • Punjab government announcement
  • Times of India article (no date specified)
  • National Health Mission (NHM) funding details