J&K pvt hospitals face crisis as payments under PMJAY scheme remain pending

Srinagar, Aug 31: Private Hospitals and Dialysis Centres in Jammu and Kashmir, empanelled under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY scheme, are facing an unprecedented crisis and are on the brink of collapse due to delayed payment of bills by J&K State Health Agency (SHA).Hospital owners said that despite repeated assurances, pending dues have mounted to 100’s of crores, making it increasingly difficult for healthcare providers to sustain their operations.Since March 2024, SHA has been delaying payments to empanelled hospitals and dialysis centres, leading to a crisis-like situation. Last year, private hospitals and dialysis centre owners protested by stopping medical services under the scheme.However, after the intervention of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, a significant amount of pending money was released. However, they said the gap in payment of pending dues has widened over time.The hospital owners said they are not receiving payments continuously, and if at all, it’s in piecemeal fashion. “We are not able to pay our vendors, who have now threatened to stop the supply of consumables. The government does not honour the agreement for timely payments to run the scheme successfully,” they said.While some partial payments were made, they were often accompanied by substantial, unwarranted deductions, highlighting the critical issue of timely payment and the need for government action to address the situation.“If the government cannot run the scheme due to the paucity of funds, let them make it public instead of crushing the hospitals due to delayed payment of bills,” they said.Notably, SHA J&K shifted to a new policy (PS8) under AB-PMJAY and AB-PMJAY SEHAT on Trust Mode from April 17, 2025. However, none of the hospitals have received payment under the new scheme, in addition to a significant amount of pending payment from the old scheme (PS7).Previously, the SHAJK blocked four surgical procedures for private hospitals, effective from March 15, 2025, citing their misuse in private hospitals. These procedures are now reserved exclusively for public hospitals.J&K is among the few states in India where 100 per cent of the population is covered under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme. The reservation of four procedures to public hospitals has significantly affected the Below Poverty Line (BPL) population, who now have to wait for months for surgery in public hospitals or arrange money for surgery in private institutions.The hospitals and dialysis centre owners urged the government to take steps to clear the pending dues and ensure the sustainability of healthcare services, which concerns precious human lives and was the brainchild of the Prime Minister of India.