Ayushman Bharat services suspended by hospitals in Haryana over pending dues: IMA

Chandigarh, Aug 7 (PTI) 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.

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 Rs 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, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Haryana, 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 Rs 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, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Haryana, Sudhir 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, Rs 240.63 crore has been received from the state and central governments and fully utilised for the settlement of eligible claims. PTI SUN RT RT