The Modi government’s much-hyped health centres are failing
The Arogya Mandirs were meant to take specialised healthcare to poor Indians. But they remain hobbled by unskilled doctors, lack of medicine and staff shortage.
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At a public hearing in Karjat, Sushila Bhoir from Jambhulwadi village stood up with a string of complaints. “The health centre near our village does not have medicines, nor does it have water,” she said. “Even for deliveries, they refer pregnant women far away.”
Held in March, the meeting was a part of a Maharashtra government exercise to bring health officers, non-governmental organisations, government workers, and local residents together to discuss health issues. Several people had travelled from rural and tribal villages in Karjat, Raigad district, to be part of this hearing.
The centre Bhoir referred to is an Arogya Mandir in Kadav village.
In 2018, it was upgraded from a primary health centre into a health and wellness centre under the ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that year. On paper, the upgrade meant that the centre could now provide a list of 12 specialised healthcare services.
Bhoir remembers a fresh coat of yellow paint was applied on its walls that year. In 2022, the centre was renamed Arogya Mandir and a second coat of paint was applied last year as part of the rebranding exercise. Each centre was allotted Rs 3,000 for the rebranding.
That was all. “The services did not improve then,” said...
