Punjab: IMA refuses to accept appreciation letters sans payment of hospital dues

Chandigarh: The Punjab chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has said it will not accept appreciation letters from the state government on Independence Day, accusing it of not clearing the dues under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana.

It described as a "farce" the AAP government's move of honouring two hospitals — one government and one private each in all districts — for their notable contribution in implementing the Ayushman Bharat—Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojana during the district level Independence Day functions. 

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In a statement issued here, IMA (Punjab) president Dr Paramjit Maan said instead of releasing long-pending payments under the Ayushman scheme, the Punjab government was trying to "play such gimmicks." "The IMA, Punjab does not only condemn the double standards of the state government but also refuses to accept the appreciation letters sans release of pending payments of the hospitals," he said.

Though the Punjab government had been recognising their notable contribution in extending healthcare services, but adopting a "dilly-dallying" approach in releasing the due payments, he alleged.

He said in a communication along with a list of hospitals and appreciation certificates to all the deputy commissioners, the special secretary-cum-CEO state health agency Punjab has stated that the hospitals which have treated the maximum cases under the Ayushman scheme during the first seven months of the current year should be honoured at the Independence Day functions at their respective districts.

Dr Navjot Dhaiya, vice president of the Punjab chapter of IMA, claimed that the strate government paid just 20 per cent of the total Rs 228 crore it owes to private hospitals.

The Punjab government had earlier come under fire after the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh had stopped treating patients from the state for not clearing its dues.

Later, the state government had said it had cleared the dues.

The Centre's Ayushman Bharat scheme provides cashless treatment of up to Rs 5 lakh to a family per year and the cost of implementation is shared by the state government.

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