Health Minister urges Centre to give its share of NHM funds

Union Health Minister urged to sanction NHM funds due to Kerala Health Department, affecting many activities.

Health Minister Veena George has urged Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya to sanction the Union government’s share of National Health Mission (NHM) funds that was due to the State’s Health department.

Co-branding activities as directed by the Union government have been completed, yet funds have not been distributed. This is affecting many activities of the NHM. Last month too, the State government had to step in with funds for emergency services, including salary to the employees, Ms. George said on Wednesday, calling for distribution of funds at the earliest.

The Minister made the appeal at a meeting chaired by ​the Union Health Minister to review the COVID situation in the country.

The Union government has to sanction ₹826.02 crore as NHM funds, and the State government ₹550.68 crore. Of the ₹409.05 crore for NHM activities, the Finance Ministry has given permission for ₹371.2 crore as cash guarantee. This amount is sanctioned in four equal instalments, with each instalment being ₹92.8 crore. Though three instalments should have been allowed by now not one had been sanctioned, which meant ₹278.4 crore was due from the Union government.

The State share though has been made available without any hurdles. In the absence of the Union government component, the State share was being used to implement NHM programmes.

Without Central share, ASHA workers’ incentive; free tests; free treatment; salary of personnel, including doctors, appointed through NHM; biomedical management; and Kanivu 108 ambulance were all functioning using the State’s share of funds.

Apart from this, ₹30 crore was due to various wings such as burns units, skill centre, trauma care, mental health progamme, multi-disciplinary research unit, pharmacy upgrade, tertiary cancer care centre, and paramedical education.