Citing pending dues, Haryana private hospitals to suspend Ayushman services on September 1

Gurgaon: Private hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Haryana will suspend services for 24 hours on September 1 to protest prolonged delays in the settlement of claims, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Haryana chapter has said. 

The State IMA has warned that if the government fails to “substantially improve” the payment situation, empanelled hospitals may completely withdraw from the Ayushman Bharat scheme from September 16.

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According to the news reports, in a letter addressed to the CEO of the Ayushman Bharat Health Protection Authority, Haryana (AB-HPA), the association said the one-day suspension was intended as a symbolic protest to highlight the financial difficulties being faced by hospitals and draw the attention of the government, authorities, media and the public to the issue.

The letter, dated August 27, was signed by IMA Haryana president Dr Sunila Soni, honorary secretary Dr Yogesh Jindal and chairman Dr Ajay Mahajan.

According to the association, hospitals have been facing severe financial strain as payments for Ayushman claims have remained pending for more than six months. IMA pointed out that the agreed timeline for clearing claims was 15 days.

“The payment pendency has now crossed six months,” the IMA said, urging the authorities to immediately clear all outstanding dues and establish a sustainable mechanism to ensure timely settlement of future claims.

The association also claimed that the financial strain had recently contributed to the closure of a hospital, highlighting the growing difficulties faced by healthcare providers participating in the scheme.

IMA Haryana said the issue was not limited to hospitals and could have a direct impact on beneficiaries who depend on Ayushman Bharat for access to cashless healthcare.

“The continued delay in payments is adversely affecting the availability of healthcare services for the poor beneficiaries of Haryana,” it said, while raising concerns over the credibility and sustainability of the scheme, reports Economic Times.

The association said empanelled hospitals had received repeated assurances from the authorities over the past three years, but the payment issue remained unresolved.

As part of the protest, Ayushman services at participating private hospitals will remain suspended from midnight to midnight on September 1.

The association has also set a second deadline. It warned that if there has been no tangible improvement and outstanding payments are not cleared, hospitals can be forced to completely withdraw Ayushman services from midnight on September 16, reports UNI.

The development could affect access to cashless treatment for beneficiaries at participating private hospitals, particularly if the dispute remains unresolved.

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