Karnataka health minister first praises Delhi's Mohalla Clinic initiative, then calls it 'overhyped'
New Delhi, Aug 4: Hours after praising the AAP government's Mohalla Clinic initiative, Karnataka Health Minister and Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said it is "overhyped" and he was left "disappointed" after a visit to one such facility.
There was no immediate reaction from the Arvind Kejriwal government on the Karnataka minister's change of statement. The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are members of the opposition INDIA bloc.
On Friday, Rao visited an 'Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinic' at Panchsheel Park here. He was accompanied by Delhi Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj and Karnataka Bhavan medical officer Karthik, according to an official statement.
Almost four hours after praising the mohalla clinic initiative, Gundu Rao made a U-turn.
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"Visited a mohalla clinic in Delhi with hardly any people there. Our clinics in Karnataka have more facilities, including a laboratory, to do immediate tests for patients," the Congress leader tweeted. "I guess it is overhyped and I came back feeling disappointed," he said on Twitter.
During the visit, the Karnataka minister saw the facilities at the mohalla clinic and enquired about the welfare of staffers.
The Delhi government's mohalla clinic is a neighbourhood facility for providing free primary healthcare to residents. The mohalla clinic programme is among the flagship initiatives of the Arvind Kejriwal government to boost the primary healthcare system in Delhi.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Panchsheel Park mohalla clinic, Rao had praised the mohalla clinic model and said that it is functioning "very well".
"I had heard a lot about mohalla clinics and I wanted to see them personally. I wanted to discuss how they (AAP government) are implementing the health policies," he had told reporters.
"In southern states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, health has always been a priority. Every state has got something good that we can learn from. We have something similar (to mohalla clinics)... we have 'namma clinics'. We wanted to see how we can improve our system. I saw the mohalla clinic and it is functioning very well People are also appreciating it," he had said.
The Congress minister was also asked whether this visit was planned since they are allies now, to which he said this is a "department" matter and not a "political" one.
"Alliance is a different issue and a political one. We will go to other states. Rajasthan has a health policy. It can be a BJP state also (where we can visit). That is the concept of federalism," he said.
Slamming the BJP-led Centre, he said that it "is creating a situation where this approach of working together is getting lost".
"They look at opposition-ruled states as enemies. Politically they give trouble and they even trouble the state governments. The (services) ordinance is overruling people's issues. If you weaken an elected government it weakens democracy. Exchange of views is something that is good and should be done always. I have also extended invitation to Delhi health minister to see what is being done on various fronts (in Karnataka)," he told reporters.
Bharadwaj said his Karnataka counterpart told him about how good the hospitals are in the southern state. "We will also visit his state. All states should learn from each other. I am very happy that they have come here," he said.
Earlier in the day, quote-tweeting Bharadwaj's tweets on Gundu Rao's visit, Kejriwal had said Delhi will learn from the good work done by the Karnataka government.
"Karnataka health minister visits Delhi mohalla clinics. We welcome him and his team. We all have to learn from each other. Delhi will also learn from the good work done by Karnataka govt," he had tweeted.
Currently, there are more than 500 mohalla clinics in the national capital that offer free primary healthcare services to patients, including 212 different types of medical tests.
Visited a Mohalla Clinic in Delhi with hardly any people there.
— Dinesh Gundu Rao/ದಿನೇಶ್ ಗುಂಡೂರಾವ್ (@dineshgrao) August 4, 2023
Our Clinics in Karnataka have more facilities including a laboratory to do immediate tests for patients.
I guess it is overhyped and I came back feeling disappointed. pic.twitter.com/z9VywnmB3z
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
