Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 28 (PTI) The Kerala government has decided to add 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir' along with the existing names of the National Health Mission (NHM) centres in the state.

In an order issued on June 26, the State Health and Family Welfare Department said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had revised the branding guidelines and directed the states to rename the Ayushman Bharat - Health and Wellness Centres (ABHWCs) as 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir' along with the tagline 'Arogyam Paramam Dhanam'.

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The state government order said that along with the names of the Janakeeya Arogya Kendrams, the family health centres, the primary health centres, the urban family health centres, and the urban public health centres in the state, 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir' with the tagline should be written in Malayalam and English.

"Ayushman Arogya Mandir with the tagline 'Arogyam Paramam Dhanam' should be written in Malayalam and English, along with the names of all sub-centres (Janakeeya Arogya Kendram), Health Centres/Primary Health Centres/Urban Family Health Centres/Urban Public Health Centers in the state.

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"The new name should be given along with the vernacular name of these institutions," the order read.

Meanwhile, State Health Minister Veena George on Friday dismissed certain news reports that the names were being changed and said they were "baseless."

She said the names of the boards of the institutions will retain their current names.

"The Janakeeya Arogya Kendrams, the Family Health Centres, the Primary Health Centres, the Urban Family Health Centres, and the Urban Public Health Centres in the state will continue to be known by their current names. The taglines, 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir' and 'Arogyam Paramam Dhanam' are added as directed by the union government for branding purposes," she said in a statement.

Earlier, the state government had refused to comply with the Centre's demand to change the names.

George had earlier accused the union government of denying the funds for Kerala's NHM programme, demanding the co-branding of the centres.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)