Punjab private hospitals, clinics turn away Ayushman Bharat patients over pending bills
As per information, some hospitals have not received reimbursements for the past six months, forcing them to turn away patients seeking treatment under the scheme.
Private hospitals and clinics across Punjab have stopped treating Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries, citing outstanding dues from the state government.
The Ayushman Bharat scheme provides a health cover of ₹5 lakh a year to families enrolled under this scheme, allowing them to receive cashless treatment at any public or private empanelled hospital across the country. The cost incurred on treatment is then reimbursed by the state government.
As per information, some hospitals have not received reimbursements for the past six months, forcing them to turn away patients seeking treatment under the scheme.
A private hospital in Patiala has even put up a poster, which reads: “No beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat scheme will be treated at the hospital.”
The owner of another empanelled private clinic in Jalandhar said, “We are burdened with debts amounting to crores because the government has not cleared our pending bills. The amount owed is so pressing that we had no option but to start declining patients under the scheme.”
As per information, private hospitals had already warned the state government of suspending treatment under the scheme if their dues weren’t cleared by September 1.
Confirming the delay in payments, Babita, the chief executive officer of the state health agency said, “There was a technical glitch in our online portal, which caused the delay in processing of pending bills. But we have already paid around ₹165 crore over the past six months. We will fix the problem soon.”
Meanwhile, poor patients are now forced to seek treatment at government health facilities, which are already burdened with high patient backlog.