The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has stopped treating patients in Haryana under the Centre’s health insurance scheme, Ayushman Bharat, due to non-payment of pending dues and has decided to go on strike. The decision was taken by hospitals empanelled under the scheme on Monday.
Earlier, IMA, the largest representative body of medical professionals, said that over 600 private hospitals in the state will stop treating patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme from February 3 due to the government’s failure to release reimbursements amounting to Rs 400 crore. A meeting was fixed on Monday for a resolution but no breakthrough was achieved.
The IMA met Chief Principal Secretary to the Haryana Chief Minister Rajesh Khullar, wherein an assurance was given that the demands put forth by the IMA would be fulfilled.
All applications received for claims under the Ayushman Bharat scheme till March 10 will be paid by March 31, Khullar told the IMA representatives.
The IMA said there was a financial pendency of 1.20 lakh cases despite assurances from the government and the release of some funds previously.
The Ayushman Bharat is a flagship scheme of the central government which provides health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to approximately 55 crore beneficiaries. These beneficiaries correspond to 12.37 crore families constituting the economically vulnerable bottom 40 per cent of India’s population.
Approximately 1.2 crore people in Haryana are registered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
‘SOME CONCLUSION’ REACHED OVER NON-PAYMENT OF DUES: IMA
IMA doctors and the CEO of Ayushman Bharat addressed a press conference and said Rs 195 crore had been released till date and that they arrived at “some conclusion” over payment of the remaining dues.
They said a meeting over the issue could be held and that the government was raising funds of Ayushman Bharat scheme to nearly Rs 2,500 crore for next year.
However, after the press conference, the IMA representatives held a virtual meeting and decided to withdraw its services at private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
“Our empanelled hospitals are not satisfied with the government’s assurance. Rs 195 crore has been paid and the rest will be done by the end of March. Hospitals are demanding their pending payments first,” IMA Haryana General Secretary Dhirender K Soni told India Today TV.
“For the upcoming fiscal year, Rs 2,450 crore under the Ayushman Bharat budget will be raised and provided. But, still there is no resolution to the deductions that are made after the approval and there is no assurance about that,” Soni said.
BJP vs CONGRESS OVER IMA ISSUE
Speaking on the strike by IMA, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini said, “Money is not an obstacle. Technicality could be the issue. We have directed the concerned department to release funds and we are doing it.”
Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda hit out at the BJP government and asked it to give payments to doctors without any delay.
“When payment is not made, how can the treatment be done? What else can doctors and hospitals do? The government should make payment immediately under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Doctors are professionals and it is the policy of the government to give the funds,” Hooda said.
“Why is the money not being given then? The government should call IMA again for a meeting and resolve it as people will face problems,” he added.
(with inputs from PTI)