CHANDIGARH, July 9— The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, has raised alarm over prolonged delays in payments to private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, warning that the future of the programme in the state is at risk unless the government intervenes urgently.
In a strongly worded memorandum submitted to Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini and shared with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Health Minister JP Nadda via their official X handle, the IMA urged immediate corrective action. The association claims that empaneled private hospitals — a backbone of the scheme’s delivery mechanism — are being pushed towards service withdrawal due to months-long payment delays, mounting dues, and arbitrary claim rejections.
“The Ayushman Bharat scheme was launched in 2018 and was later extended to private hospitals with the promise of timely payments. Under the MoU, the government had assured reimbursement within 15 days, with an additional 1% interest per week for any delay. Yet hospitals are facing delays of three to six months,” said Dr Mahaveer P Jain, President of IMA Haryana.
He added that despite clear terms, even the interest on delayed payments is being denied by officials, who continue to claim that payments will be processed “on time.” Payments, he said, are typically released only after repeated warnings of service suspension — and that too in cycles of three to four months.
Dr Jain also raised concerns over what he described as a deliberate obstruction of payments, citing a rise in arbitrary deductions, unjustified objections during claim processing, and wrongful rejection of genuine cases. “Some valid claims have been labelled as ‘false’ and left unpaid for more than three years,” he said.
The association further noted that five major treatment packages have been removed from the scheme without ensuring alternate arrangements in government facilities, leaving patients with limited options.
Budget cuts have deepened the crisis. “The scheme paid out ₹1,300 crore in 2023–24 and was projected to grow to ₹1,800 crore in 2024–25. Yet the budget for 2025–26 has been inexplicably slashed to just ₹700 crore, which has already been exhausted,” Dr Jain said, calling the move a contradiction of the government’s public commitments.
Despite multiple representations made to CM Saini, the IMA says no meaningful action has been taken. Dr Jain blamed bureaucratic hurdles and “hidden agendas” for sabotaging implementation efforts.
“The scheme is for the poor and the needy. We appeal to the Prime Minister, Union Health Minister, and Chief Minister to act now. If not, private hospitals will be forced to withdraw from Ayushman Bharat, and that will ultimately harm the very people this scheme was designed to help,” the IMA president said.
