BENGALURU: A number of procedures have been undertaken in private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat-Arogya Karnataka (AB-ArK) integrated health scheme despite staunch opposition to its package rates, before the scheme was merged in the state.
Karnataka inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre to merge its flagship health scheme, Arogya Karnataka, with Ayushman Bharat on October 30. One-and-a-half months since then, 64,391 procedures have been performed in the state with 36,460 alone being done in the private sector (57 per cent).
“This can be attributed to the fact that the government has only 385 tertiary care hospitals at its disposal whereas 535 private hospitals have been enrolled with the scheme so far. Also, we have relaxed the empanelment criteria. Earlier, we used to allow only 30-bedded hospitals to empanel, now we allow 15-bed hospitals too,” said a Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust official, the implementing agency in the state, requesting anonymity.
“Under the Karnataka Private Medical Establishment (KPME) Act, a price-fixation committee needs to be formed and procedure rates need to be decided on, which will be done soon after the Assembly session comes to an end. Prior to the merger, whichever rates were higher between Ayushman Bharat and Arogya Karnataka, we have fixed those rates for now,” the official added.
For six months between June and November this year, 2.09 lakh patients were treated under the health scheme. For the same corresponding period last year 1.55 lakh patients were treated.“There is a 35 per cent increase in patients coming for treatment, especially in government hospitals. This is because previously there were six schemes and one did not understand what to get treated under, now there is one scheme which makes it much simpler. So,the government is going in the right direction,” the official said.
The scheme covers an estimated 4.4 crore people and provides treatment under 1,614 procedures. The government has categorised 169 procedures as emergencies, under which the patient can either be taken to a government hospital or a private hospital.