Haryana rolls out Ayush medical policy for govt employees, pensioners

Haryana government employees, pensioners and their dependents will be eligible for medical reimbursement of indoor treatment availed at all government hospitals located within and outside the state

The Manohar Lal Khattar-led BJP-JJP coalition government has rolled out the Ayush Medical Reimbursement Policy under which Haryana government employees, pensioners and their dependents will be eligible for complete reimbursement of indoor treatment availed at all government hospitals located within and outside the state.

Haryana government employees, pensioners and their dependents opting for treatment under the Ayush system of medicine will be eligible for reimbursement with the Haryana government implementing the Ayush Medical Reimbursement Policy. The decision was taken at the recent cabinet meeting in Chandigarh. (HT file photo)

The number of Haryana government employees, including the staff of boards and corporations, is 4.32 lakh and according to the department of Ayush, Haryana has 787 ayurvedic, unani and homeopathic institutions in which the number of patients treated in 2021-22 was 39 lakh.

The policy allows indoor treatment in the approved/empanelled private NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers) accredited Ayush hospitals and entry-level NABH-Ayush hospitals, located within or outside Haryana, according to the notification issued on May 1.

The medical expenses pertaining to the treatment in private NABH-accredited Ayush hospitals will be reimbursed according to the fixed package rates fixed by the department.

The government has widened the ambit of medical reimbursement as Ayush is emerging as a leading healthcare service provider and a majority of government employees, pensioners and their dependents have been undergoing treatment under this system of medicine.

The policy includes fixed-rate packages for procedures such as panchkarma, ayurvedic surgery (gynaecology, eye/ENT, general surgery) and para-surgery, yoga, naturopathy, unani and siddha.

While complete reimbursement will be allowed for indoor treatment availed at all government hospitals within Haryana for ayurveda, unani, sidha, yoga, naturopathy procedures at the existing rates being charged, complete reimbursement will be allowed for indoor treatment at all government hospitals outside Haryana provided the claimant produces a certificate from the medical superintendent/head of the institution declaring it a government Ayush hospital.

The reimbursement of homoeopathic treatment will be allowed for non-package procedure as there are no packages under homoeopathic treatment.

The notification says no prior permission/emergency certificate from the Ayush department will be required for availing indoor treatment at the empanelled private Ayush hospitals. But the duration of treatment will not exceed 30 days for ayurveda, and 28 days for unani, sidha, homeopathy, yoga and naturopathy. The treatment beyond the fixed limit for the same disease will require permission from the committee constituted under the chairmanship of the district ayurvedic officer concerned. However, it will not exceed 15 days in any case.

The reimbursement of the expenditure for Ayush treatment of chronic diseases on outdoor basis will be limited to 18 chronic diseases already notified by the health department of Haryana. The certificate of chronic disease will be issued by the medical board constituted under the civil surgeon. The beneficiary claiming reimbursement of Ayush treatment of chronic diseases will have to surrender fixed medical allowance and opt for open medical allowance. The claimant can’t avail fixed medical allowance and reimbursement of OPD treatment for chronic diseases, simultaneously, the policy says, adding the beneficiary can change the option from fixed to open medical allowance and vice-versa at any time.