Despite partial payments, Haryana Private hospitals to withdraw Ayushman Bharat services
Chandigarh: The Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced on Wednesday that it will stop providing medical services to Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries across the state starting August 7, following a deadlock in talks with senior state officials over delayed payments.
However, amidst rising concerns over payment delays, the Haryana State Health Agency (SHA) appealed to empanelled hospitals and stakeholders not to go ahead with their planned suspension of services under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
The decision comes after months of alleged inaction by the state government regarding the non-payment of dues to private hospitals empanelled under the scheme. In a formal letter dated July 28 addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Haryana Health Protection Authority, the IMA expressed deep concern over persistent delays in settling payments, stating that repeated appeals and assurances had not yielded any concrete results.
“As already communicated vide our letter No IMAHSB2025/133 dated 28.7.25, we regret to inform you that the Ayushman Empanelled Hospitals are unable to continue with their services and have suspended Ayushman Services from 00.00 Hrs of 7.8.25 as there has been no satisfactory resolution of our grievances. Withdrawal of services was also communicated to you vide email dated 6.8.25. We will review the situation on 14.8.25 and decide the future course of action,” the association stated in the letter. Approximately 700 private hospitals across Haryana are associated with the Central Government’s flagship Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), catering to an estimated 1.8 crore beneficiaries in the state.
Despite multiple rounds of dialogue, the IMA said the government had failed to offer a clear timeline for clearing outstanding claims, leaving hospitals struggling to sustain services. Talking to Medical Dialogues, Dr Dhirendar Soni, Secretary, stated, “The suspension of services is a last-resort measure aimed at drawing attention to the financial strain faced by private healthcare providers. Clearing the pending amount is not enough because this is happening after every few months. Private facilities are unable to extend medical services, and doctors are painted as villains only on the basis of a few paperworks. A systematic approach should be adopted to solve the issue, and only after that can the scheme be implemented properly.”
However, Haryana authorities have requested the hospitals to continue to provide service under the scheme. According to ET Health, the claims submitted up to the first week of May 2025 had already been settled, with an overall disbursement of Rs. 2,900 crores since the scheme's inception. In the current fiscal year (2025-26), Rs. 240.63 crores were received from both central and state governments up to July 16 and fully utilized for eligible claim settlements.
SHA explained that a team of 50 medical professionals processes claims through the National Health Authority’s online platform, which allocates cases randomly to ensure fairness. All deductions are made strictly per NHA protocols and only in the absence of valid medical justification or documentation. Hospitals are given the opportunity to submit supporting materials such as vital signs, surgical notes, clinical images, and test results before any deductions or rejections are finalized.
