J&K Private hospitals suspend Ayushman Bharat services over policy changes
Kashmir Health Workers Suspended Following Viral Video of Dog in Emergency Room
Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government has announced the exclusion of four common surgical procedures from being covered under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) SEHAT scheme in private hospitals. Following this, the Jammu and Kashmir Private Hospitals and Dialysis Centers Association has announced the suspension of services under the scheme.
The association stated that the suspension, effective from March 16, 2025, is a response to recent policy changes implemented by the State Health Agency (SHA) J&K.
The decision to revise the Health Benefits Packages (HBP) 2.2 was made during the 8th and 9th Governing Council meetings, with the changes officially coming into effect from March 15, 2025. As per the new regulations, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, hemorrhoidectomy, and fissure-in-ano surgeries will now be exclusively performed at public hospitals, preventing private healthcare facilities from offering these procedures under the AB-PMJAY SEHAT scheme.
The order came as a surprise as previously the Jammu and Kashmir High Court directed the state government to consider the inclusion of four surgical procedures—Appendectomy, Cholecystectomy, Hemorrhoidectomy, and Fissure in ANO—under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) scheme for empanelled private hospitals in the Union Territory.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that private hospitals and dialysis centres across Jammu and Kashmir announced their decision to withdraw from the AB-PMJAY-Sehat scheme in March. This move came in response to several contentious decisions made during the 9th Governing Council Meeting, which private healthcare providers believe could have severe repercussions for the sector.
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