Gurgaon: Ayushman-empanelled private hospitals in Haryana will suspend services under the scheme for 24 hours on Sept 1 to protest prolonged delays in the settlement of claims.The Haryana chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) — in a letter addressed to CEO of Ayushman Bharat Health Protection Authority, Haryana (AB-HPA) — has said if govt fails to “substantially improve” the payment situation, empanelled hospitals may completely withdraw from the scheme from Sept 16.The one-day suspension, it said, was intended as a symbolic protest to draw the attention of govt, concerned authorities, media and the public to the financial difficulties faced by empanelled hospitals.The letter — dated Aug 27 and signed by IMA Haryana president Dr Sunila Soni, honorary secretary Dr Yogesh Jindal and chairman Dr Ajay Mahajan — said hospitals had been facing severe financial difficulties because payments for Ayushman claims had remained pending for more than six months. This was despite the agreed timeline of 15 days for clearance of claims, it said.IMA Haryana urged the authorities to immediately clear pending dues and establish a sustainable mechanism to ensure timely payment of future claims.“The payment pendency has now crossed six months,” the association said, adding that the situation had made it increasingly difficult for hospitals to sustain Ayushman services. IMA also claimed that the financial strain had recently forced a hospital to shut down.The association said the continued delay in payments was not only affecting hospitals but also had implications for beneficiaries dependent on the scheme.“The continued delay in payments is adversely affecting the availability of healthcare services for the poor beneficiaries of Haryana,” it said, while raising concerns over the credibility and sustainability of the scheme.IMA said hospitals had received repeated assurances over the past three years, but the issue remained unresolved. It has therefore decided to suspend Ayushman services from midnight to midnight on Sept 1.
