Ayushman Bharat scheme falls flat in J&K

SHA fails to provide funds since 8 months, liabilities go over Rs 235 cr

Arvind Sharma

Jammu Tawi, Aug 04: The patients requiring treatment under the central government’s ambitious Ayushman Bharat health scheme have been suffering in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu Kashmir (J&K) since long as the State Health Agency (SHA) has not provided funds to both the government and the private hospitals since the last more than eight (08) months.

The SHA provides funds to both the government and private hospitals, which then pay to the suppliers for ensuring free treatment of patients under Ayushman Bharat health scheme.

“All the SHA empanelled hospitals in J&K, including government and the private, have not been provided funds by the SHA since the last more than 8 months due to which the liabilities have now reached to around Rs 235 Cr,” an Administrator of a private hospital, who is also the member of Private Hospitals’ Association of J&K, informed the Northlines, while wishing not to be named.

Meanwhile, the highly placed official sources in the Health and Medical Education Department informed that there is a liability of more than Rs 45 cr which the SHA empanelled government hospitals of Jammu region have not paid since the last more than 8 months.

Due to this, the patients requiring treatment under Ayushman Bharat in all the departments of government hospitals of Jammu are being denied this eligible free service to a large extent, they further said.

“The free health services to the patients under Ayushman Bharat in all the departments in all the government and private hospitals are being affected,” they said, while adding, “the Cardiology Department is the worst affected”.

In a shocking move, the Angiography, which was until free, has now been made payment based and the patients have now to pay Rs 6000 for this.

Earlier, the Angiography was being conducted free under Ayushman Bharat at Super Specialty Hospital (SSH) Jammu.

In the last 3 years, Bone and Joint Hospital, Cancer Institute and the Maternity Hospital have become operational in Jammu.

However, despite the passage of more than three years, the government has still not provided funds and created extra budgetary provision for these three new hospitals to meet the ever increasing expenditure, the official sources said, while adding that this has added to the problems.