Haryana IMA to suspend Ayushman Bharat services from August 7
The Haryana Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Wednesday announced suspension of treatment for Ayushman Bharat scheme
In a letter to Chief Executive Officer of Ayushman Bharat (Haryana Health Protection Authority) on July 28, the Haryana IMA had brought up the issue of prolonged delay in payments to private hospitals for past several months, and the alleged inaction of the State government despite the matter having been raised several times and repeated assurances.
Around 700 private hospitals are empanelled under the scheme and the number of beneficiaries is estimated to be around 1.8 crore.
In a press statement on Wednesday late evening, the Haryana IMA said senior government officials, including Additional Chief Secretary Sudhir Rajpal, in a meeting with the office-bearers of the association apprised them that ₹245 crore budget was received and the distribution had started on 'First-In-First-Out' basis to the empanelled hospitals, but there was no commitment on the remaining dues.
The officials said the demand for the supplementary budget would be placed in the upcoming Monsoon Session of the Assembly, but they could make commitment on the amount of the budget to be sought, said the press release. Similarly, the officials also refused to pay interest on the delayed payments as per the Memorandum of Understanding.
The meeting was attended by Haryana IMA president Mahaveer Jain and former president Ajay Mahajan, among others.
' IMA Haryana held an online meeting with all the empanelled hospitals. After extensive discussions, everyone unanimously decided to suspend Ayushman services from the midnight tonight,' said the press statement.
In a press statement on Tuesday, the State Health Agency had said that the Health and Family Welfare Department of Haryana had settled and paid the claims submitted by the empanelled hospitals till the first week of May. A total of ₹.2,900 crore was disbursed to the hospitals since the inception of the scheme. During the current financial year, an amount of ₹240.63 crore has been received from the State and Central governments till July 16.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Ayushman Bharat services suspended by 650 private hospitals in Haryana over pending dues
The Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Thursday announced the suspension of Ayushman Bharat scheme services in the state over the issue of pending dues of empanelled hospitals despite an assurance from the state government to release the payments at the earliest. IMA's Haryana secretary Dhirender K Soni said on Thursday that the state government has failed to clear the reimbursement of private hospitals. In Haryana, the IMA represents nearly 650 private hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), a flagship scheme of the Modi government that provides a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care. The body had earlier warned that the private hospitals would stop treatment under the scheme from August 7 if pending dues were not cleared. After talks with IMA representatives on Wednesday, Haryana additional chief secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal had appealed to them to reconsider their decision. IMA's Haryana secretary Dhirender K Soni said on Thursday that the state government has failed to clear the reimbursement of private hospitals. 'The government itself admits that ₹490 crore in dues are pending. By the time they will disperse this amount, the pendency will keep on increasing,' Soni said. 'What will private hospitals do? How can they sustain if they do not get reimbursements on time?' he said. Soni said that talks were held on Wednesday with senior state government officials, but it did not yield the desired outcome. The issue of pending dues and prolonged delay in payments to private hospitals for the past several months was brought to their notice, he said. After the meeting, the Haryana chapter of IMA held a virtual meeting with the private empanelled hospitals under the Ayushman scheme and later it was decided to suspend the services from midnight (beginning August 7), he said. Earlier on Tuesday, the Haryana government had said that the claims of empanelled hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat scheme are being settled. On Wednesday, Rajpal, held a detailed meeting with representatives of the IMA, Haryana, to address their concerns regarding delayed payments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. An official statement said that Rajpal assured them that the state government is actively releasing payments to the empanelled hospitals and remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues. During the meeting, Rajpal gave a patient hearing to the delegation and acknowledged the challenges faced by the medical fraternity. He reiterated the government's commitment to clearing all pending dues under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana at the earliest. Rajpal had on Wednesday appealed to the IMA representatives and urged them to reconsider their decision on suspending the service, emphasising that such action could disrupt essential healthcare services, particularly for economically weaker sections of society. 'We understand your concerns, and we are working to address them. However, a strike would adversely affect thousands of poor patients who depend on the scheme for timely and affordable treatment,' Rajpal had said. The government maintains that the state health agency (SHA), Haryana, has already processed and paid claims submitted by empanelled hospitals up to the first week of May 2025. During the financial year 2025-26, up to July 16, ₹240.63 crore has been received from the state and central governments and fully utilised for the settlement of eligible claims.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Time of India
Pvt hospitals in state stop Ayushman Bharat services
Gurgaon: Private hospitals in Haryana pulled out of Ayushman Bharat scheme on Thursday, halting treatments and admissions under the Centre's flagship health insurance programme, weeks after they had warned the state to pay nearly Rs 500 crore that was pending as reimbursements. The indefinite suspension affects 1.8 crore people from low-income families who are covered under the scheme in the state. In the last three days, Rs 30 crore was released in reimbursements, but hospitals said it was too little, too late. You Can Also Check: Gurgaon AQI | Weather in Gurgaon | Bank Holidays in Gurgaon | Public Holidays in Gurgaon "Rs 30 crore released over the last few days is insufficient. Hospitals cannot continue offering treatment under the scheme without timely reimbursements," said Dr Mahavir Jain, president of Indian Medical Association (Haryana). Several hospitals in Gurgaon, Hisar, Karnal and Faridabad confirmed that they have stopped accepting Ayushman cards as of Thursday morning. "We cannot continue unless dues are cleared. We have been running on credit for months," said a senior administrator at a private hospital in the city. Patients are a worried lot, especially because a bulk of critical healthcare services are available at private facilities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like They Are Unstoppable: The Most Beautiful and Talented Female Athletes Undo "I have three dialysis sessions a week. If the hospital stops taking Ayushman card, where am I supposed to go? I can't afford even one session without the card," said Ramesh Kumar, a 58-year-old who suffers from chronic kidney disease and usually visits a hospital in Sector 28. A daily wage earner (55) said he needs to get hip surgery done, but a hospital in the city told him to "come back when services resume". "We don't have money to pay on our own," he said. The decision comes weeks after IMA-Haryana in July warned the govt that 650 private hospitals will stop providing medical treatments under the scheme as most of the facilities had received just 10-15% of their billed amount since March. The association had issued a similar warning in Jan earlier this year and said Haryana's implementation of Ayushman Bharat was in a state of "chronic breakdown". At the time, govt cleared reimbursements worth Rs 195 crore. Launched by the central govt in 2018, Ayushman Bharat allows low-income families to avail medical treatments – anything from routine diagnostic tests to surgeries -- up to Rs 5 lakh a year. Families with annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh, elderly people and other vulnerable groups are eligible to get registered under the scheme. Empanelled hospitals provide free-of-charge treatments to beneficiaries and later raise reimbursement requests to the govt on an online portal. These reimbursements are reviewed and cleared by a state agency, after which payments are disbursed. "We have communicated to private hospitals that we have released the funds, and they will soon get it through the Ayushman department. The govt is clear that no private hospital will suffer because of the scheme. There might be some delays, but payments will be made. Also, private hospitals should not deny any patients treatment as it is inhuman and against ethics," said Manish Bansal, director general of health services, Haryana. Joint CEO for Ayushman Bharat scheme in Haryana, Ankita Adhikari, did not respond to repeated requests for comment till Thursday evening. IMA-Haryana also demanded on Thursday that the state should increase its Ayushman Bharat budget to Rs 2,000 crore from the existing Rs 240 crore. "This is not just about dues. The financial design of the scheme is flawed. Hospitals are being forced to either compromise on quality or shut services. We had a meeting with the health department on Wednesday, but we could not arrive at any solution," Jain said. Doctors said they are worried that suspension of the scheme by private facilities will also increase the burden on already-stretched govt hospitals. "We already have a high patient load. If Ayushman beneficiaries from private hospitals land at govt hospitals, then the entire burden will fall on us, but we will provide treatment to all," said Dr Lokveer Singh, principal medical officer at Civil Hospital in Sector 10. Around 650 govt hospitals are empanelled under Ayushman Bharat in the state. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and s ilver prices in your area.
Hindustan Times
12 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Mohalla clinic staffers approach Delhi HC for relief
Staff members working at Delhi's Aam Aadmi Mohalla Clinics (AAMCs) have filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court seeking relief over persistent job insecurity and irregular salary payments. The plea, submitted on July 28, lists out challenges faced by doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and paramedics working under the healthcare initiative. According to the petition, salaries have been delayed for several months, leaving many workers in financial distress and mental anguish. In their petition, the staffers have urged the court to restrain what they described as the 'arbitrary removal' of existing employees and to ensure timely and consistent salary disbursement. According to the petition, salaries have been delayed for several months, leaving many workers in financial distress and mental anguish. The high court petition comes just days ahead of a related filing before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on August 3, indicating growing unrest within the AAMC workforce over lack of job security and administrative transparency. Anish Kumar, a former pharmacist with Mohalla Clinics and a representative of the Healthcare Workers Charitable Trust -- an advocacy group for government healthcare employees -- said that many staff members have effectively been pushed into forced unemployment. 'Several staff have received 'detailment transfers,' meaning they've been officially transferred but haven't been assigned a new posting. It's a systematic way to sideline people without formally terminating them,' Kumar explained. He added that a large number of employees have been serving at AAMCs for over six years and are now ineligible for other government jobs due to age restrictions. 'They're simply asking for clarity and job security. Living in this uncertainty has become unsustainable,' he said. The petition is expected to be heard by the Delhi High Court in the coming days. The issue comes in the wake of the Delhi government's recent decision to phase out Mohalla Clinics in areas where Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are being operationalised. According to minutes from a recent government meeting, Mohalla Clinics -- launched by the AAP government in October 2015 -- will be withdrawn from such areas due to duplication of services with the BJP government's health initiative Arogya Mandirs, which also offer primary healthcare. HT reached out to the minister, but did not receive a response until the time of going to print. As of August 2023, 533 Mohalla Clinics were operational in Delhi. However, at least seven have already been converted into Arogya Mandirs under the Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme. Following a protest on May 17 by AAMC staff, Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta had assured that existing paramedical and support staff would be adjusted within Arogya Mandirs.
