The Haryana unit of the IMA announced that 600 private hospitals in the state will stop providing services to patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme starting February 3. This decision comes as the state government has yet to pay the Rs 400 crore in pending reimbursements.
Around 1,300 hospitals in Haryana are enrolled in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, with 600 of them being private facilities. The scheme, launched by the Modi government in 2018, covers healthcare services, including routine tests and surgeries, for families with an annual income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh, as well as the elderly. Around 1.2 crore people in Haryana are registered under this scheme.
The IMA stated that the decision to suspend services was made because hospitals are struggling to manage their expenses due to delayed payments from the state government.
One doctor from a private hospital in Gurgaon explained, “It has become impossible to run our hospitals without the necessary funds. The reimbursements are very slow, and new bills keep piling up. Our payments should be released immediately.”
Dr. Mahavir Jain, president of IMA Haryana, said that reimbursements to private hospitals have been delayed for months. “Around Rs 400 crore is still pending. These medical bills are already discounted by the hospitals. How can they survive without receiving the minimum funds?” he asked.
IMA officials reported that private hospitals in Haryana have only received 10-15% of the reimbursement bills they raised with the government. When a hospital treats a patient under the scheme, it raises a request for reimbursement through an online portal, which is supposed to be approved by the state government.
The issue was raised with Haryana's Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini earlier this month, who ordered the immediate release of funds. However, hospitals have only received a small portion of the pending dues, and many payments have been subject to significant deductions.
“It is unfortunate that, even after 15 days, our members have not received any significant amount, and the amounts received have substantial unwarranted deductions,” said Dhirendar K. Soni, secretary of IMA Haryana.
In response, Ankita Adhikari, the joint CEO of Ayushman Bharat in Haryana, said the government was not informed about the suspension of services. “We have already initiated the fund release. We are optimistic that the issue will be resolved within a week and that no drastic steps will be necessary,” she said.
In Gurgaon, where 60 hospitals are part of the scheme, hospitals like Park Hospital, Centre For Sight, Pushpanjali Hospital, Muskaan Dentals, and Kamla Hospital are among those affected.
Dr. Jyoti Yadav from Kamla Hospital said, “We will support IMA and shut down services from Feb 3. We treat one to two new patients under Ayushman Bharat daily, including performing eye surgeries, which will be halted if we suspend services.”
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