600 Private Hospitals Stop Ayushman Card Treatment in Haryana

A major healthcare crisis has hit Haryana as more than 600 private hospitals have suddenly stopped providing treatment to Ayushman card holders. This drastic step was taken because the government owes these hospitals around Rs 500 crore in pending payments.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Haryana had warned the state government about this problem last month, but nothing was done to solve it. Dr MP Jain, president of IMA Haryana, said they held a meeting with Health Secretary and Ayushman officials on Wednesday, but no solution was reached.

According to Dr Jain, the government doesn't have proper budget to run this big healthcare scheme properly. He explained that Rs 500 crore is stuck with the government since July 15, and in the last three days, only Rs 30 crore was released, which is nowhere near enough. 

"Private doctors cannot meet their expenses when payments are so delayed. We were forced to take this harsh step because the government showed no intention to resolve our genuine concerns," said Dr Jain.

The situation is particularly bad in different districts. In Karnal alone, Rs 40 crore is pending with the government. Dr Deepak Prakash, IMA Karnal president, said they want the entire system to be streamlined, not just payment delays resolved. The online portal that started in February 2024 has many technical problems, and communicating with state authorities is very difficult.

Dr Rajat Mimani pointed out another major problem - hospitals face "illogical deductions" and claim rejections even after treating patients successfully. This causes huge financial losses and harassment to private hospitals that are genuinely trying to help Ayushman card holders.

Patients Suffer the Most

The immediate impact has been devastating for patients. In Rohtak, Dr RK Chaudhary said Rs 25 crore has been pending for four months. "How will small and medium hospitals survive if the government keeps delaying payments?" he asked. Non-emergency patients are being turned away, though critical cases are still being treated and then referred to government hospitals.

Dr Aarti Sahu, president of Rohtak IMA chapter, confirmed that no new Ayushman patients are being admitted to private hospitals anymore.

In Panipat, 60 empanelled hospitals continue their regular OPD services but have stopped admitting Ayushman patients. Dr Jasbeer Malik said about 4-5 surgeries were performed daily in each hospital under the scheme, which have now stopped. The crisis is most visible in Sirsa, where the Civil Hospital was flooded with patients. Normally, the hospital sees 900-1200 patients daily, but on Thursday, nearly 1,500 patients crowded the facility, creating long queues and overcrowding. Dr Gaurav Mehta, IMA Sirsa president, suggested appointing coordinators or forming district-level boards to handle the scheme better.

This healthcare emergency exposes serious problems in how the Ayushman Bharat scheme is being managed in Haryana, leaving thousands of poor families without access to private healthcare when they need it most.