Ayushman Bharat Scheme: The number of beneficiaries of the Central Government’s Ayushman Bharat Scheme is continuously increasing. But in Haryana, it is affecting the hospitals where crores of rupees are owed to the hospitals. Due to which the Haryana unit of IMA has announced that at least 600 private hospitals in the state will not treat patients from February 3.
According to a report in Times of India, this step has been taken because the government has not yet paid the dues of Rs 400 crore. About 1,300 hospitals in the state are covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, including 600 private hospitals.
Ayushman Bharat services will be discontinued
The association told The Times of India that it took the decision to discontinue services provided under Ayushman Bharat as it has become difficult for hospitals to manage expenses due to months-long delay in payments by the state government. A doctor at a hospital in Gurgaon said that now it has become difficult to run the hospital without necessary funds. “The payment process is very slow and new bills keep piling up. We should get paid immediately,” he said.
What did the President of IMA (Haryana) say?
IMA (Haryana) President Dr. Mahavir Jain said, private hospitals have not received payment for the last several months. He said, “We should get the payment immediately because it is very difficult for doctors to run hospitals without money. Around ₹400 crore is outstanding. Hospitals have already given waiver on these medical bills. If they do not get even the minimum amount, So how will they move?”
IMA officials said hospitals have received only 10-15% of the reimbursement bills submitted from the government. Usually, when a hospital treats a patient who is covered under the healthcare program, it sends a request for reimbursement. This request is sent through an online portal and the state government is expected to approve it, after which the hospitals receive the money.
There was a discussion with CM on this issue
According to association members, the issue was raised with Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in a meeting. He had ordered immediate distribution of the outstanding funds, but hospitals have received only a part. IMA-Haryana Secretary Dhirendra K Soni said that it is very sad that even after 15 days, the members have not received any significant amount and there has been a lot of unjustified deduction in the money received.
The problem will be resolved within a week
Asked about the announcement, Ankita Adhikari, joint CEO of Ayushman Bharat (Haryana), told Times of India that she had not received any information about the closure of services. “We have already started the process of releasing funds. We are hopeful that the problem will be resolved within a week and such drastic steps will not be required,” he said.
Who gets the benefit?
Let us tell you that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had started Ayushman Bharat Scheme in 2018. This scheme provides free health services up to Rs 5 lakh annually to every family. About 1.2 crore people in the state are enrolled in the scheme, which covers services ranging from routine check-ups to surgeries. The benefit of this scheme is available to those families whose annual income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh. Along with this, elderly people and other eligible persons also get its benefit.
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