VIJAYAWADA: Private network hospitals in the State have warned the government of halting services under the Aarogyasri scheme, if their long-pending dues are not cleared before March 24.
Andhra Pradesh Super Speciality Hospital Association (ASHA) president Dr V Murali Krishna in a letter to Dr YSR Aarogyasri Health Care Trust chief executive officer DK Balaji on Wednesday said the network hospitals are grappling with a severe financial crisis with long-pending dues of about Rs 1,500 crore from the government’s health scheme.
Despite multiple representations and meetings with the government officials, the situation remains dire, leaving the private hospitals in a risk as the average dues owed to most hospitals has crossed more than six months.
Dr Murali Krishna further added that the hospital owners, many of whom are individual doctors, are left struggling to manage their finances due to the delayed payments. ASHA general secretary Dr K Vijay Kumar stated that despite repeated representations to the Chief Minister Office and meetings with government officials, including Principal Secretary (Health), hospitals are yet to see any significant progress in resolving the issue.
“The lack of timely payments has not only strained hospital finances but also jeopardised their ability to provide quality healthcare services,” he maintained. According to the ultimatum issued by ASHA, the situation is exacerbated by stagnant package rates under the government scheme since 2013, coupled with a significant increase in healthcare costs and utilisation. Hospital authorities emphasised the urgent need for a prompt reimbursement to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of quality healthcare services to the public.
In a recent plea to the government, hospital authorities have urged for urgent intervention to clear pending dues as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). They highlighted that failure to receive payments within the stipulated time frame could force them to discontinue new registrations under the scheme, further exacerbating the healthcare crisis. Despite verbal commitments from the government officials, promises of timely payments have yet to be fulfilled, leaving hospitals facing imminent service disruption. The looming threat of halting services underscores the urgent need for resolution to prevent hospitals from facing bankruptcy and ensure continued access to essential healthcare services