Pvt hospitals stop treatment under Ayushman Bharat as ₹364 cr pending with state health agency, says health minister
Health minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday refuted claims made by the Punjab’s private hospitals and nursing home association (PHANA) that the state government owes over ₹600 crore for various treatments availed by patients under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna and termed the statement as “false and misleading.
Health minister Dr Balbir Singh on Thursday refuted claims made by the Punjab’s private hospitals and nursing home association (PHANA) that the state government owes over ₹600 crore for various treatments availed by patients under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna and termed the statement as “false and misleading.
The minister added that the total pending amount for both public and private hospitals is ₹364 crore.
As per the official data, the breakdown of pending payments shows that ₹166.67 crore are owed to public hospitals, while private hospitals due pending are ₹197 crore, a government statement added.
The clarification comes a day after PHANA announced that it would stop all treatments under the Ayushman Bharat Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna across empanelled private hospitals in the state.
The minister added that since April 1, 2024, the government has disbursed ₹101.66 crore to private hospitals and ₹112 crore to public hospitals, totalling to ₹214.30 crore.
“Technical glitches arose from February 2024 after switching to new software for claim processing launched by National Health Agency (NHA), which resulted in slowing down the claim processing. However, the state health agency (SHA) took prompt measures, including deputing more staff and working on weekends and holidays, to address the issue,” the minister added.
To resolve the matter, the minister has called a meeting with PHANA representatives on Friday.
Additionally, a meeting with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also been fixed on September 25, at 3:30 pm to address any concerns regarding payments and SHA functioning.
The minister said he has already ordered the SHA to hire medical professionals to expedite claims processing and ensure timely payments to empanelled hospitals.