In a major setback for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries in Haryana, more than 600 empanelled private hospitals across Haryana have stopped providing treatment to cardholders. The hospitals say they are struggling due to delayed and insufficient payments, along with several other ongoing problems.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Haryana had already sent a notice to the state government last month. A meeting was held this Wednesday between IMA Haryana, the Health Secretary, and Ayushman officials, but no solution came out of it. Following this, IMA Haryana decided to withdraw services, said Dr. MP Jain, president of IMA Haryana.
Dr. Jain said the state government does not have enough budget to properly run the scheme, which is part of a Central Government programme. He added that around Rs 500 crore is still unpaid to over 600 private hospitals as of July 15. In the last three days, only Rs 30 crore has been released, which is far too little to cover costs. “Under such circumstances, private doctors cannot meet the expenditures,” he said.
“The notice was served well in advance to the state government, but it showed no intention of resolving the issue,” said the state president.
In Karnal alone, nearly Rs 40 crore is still pending. Local doctors flayed the government and expressed concern over the situation. Calling for better coordination, IMA Karnal president Dr. Deepak Prakash, along with Dr. Rajat Mimani, Dr. Gaurav Bhaskar, Dr. Vibhav, and Dr. Gaurav Sachdeva, demanded improvements in the scheme.
Dr. Prakash said they not only face delayed payments, but also serious issues with the online portal launched in February 2024. He also pointed out the lack of clear communication with the state authorities.
Dr. Mimani added that hospitals face unfair deductions and claim rejections even after patients are discharged. “This practice should be stopped which causes only harassment to private hospitals even after treating Ayushman card holders,” he said.
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