Pending payments: J&K’s pvt empanelled hospitals seek release of emergency funds

Srinagar, Aug 13: The Jammu and Kashmir Empanelled Private Dialysis Centres and Hospital Association, Srinagar branch, on Tuesday met Deputy Commissioner Srinagar for the release of emergency funds to continue the services over the pending payments since March 15 this year.
The private dialysis centres and hospitals empanelled under Ayushman Bharat Scheme (AB-PMJAY) haven’t received payments for medical services for PS-7 Scheme since March 14, 2024 due to dispute between State Health Agency and insurance company leaving them to suffer.
“An official meeting with Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ayushmaan Bharat scheme was held in April and it was assured that the matter will be solved by the first week of May 2024 however that was not done,” a spokesperson of the association said.
After the failure of release of payments, the association then filed an application to Chief Secretary through CEO, Ayushman Bharat on May 18 was submitted with a request to release funds by May 31 to the hospitals. Then they had also stated that they would be forced to stop the services due to paucity of the funds.
Later, on May 31, Secretary of Health and Medical Education J&K conveyed an online meeting with all private hospitals and dialysis centres of Jammu & Kashmir in which it was assured that the money is safe and the matter will be sorted out soon.
“Based on his assurance the suspension of medical services in Jammu & Kashmir was postponed and we were waiting for the matter to be resolved,” it said.
The hospitals and dialysis centres have been continuously providing the medical services, keeping in view their responsibilities towards the general public, have now reached to such a stage where they can’t continue the medical services due to bankruptcy.
They have also submitted a letter addressed to DC Srinagar signed by all private hospitals and dialysis centres mentioning the paucity of funds and collapse of the whole system if emergency funds under DCs jurisdiction are not released.
“We request to release the emergency funds to all private hospitals and dialysis centres across J&K from your end so that the work especially dialysis and chemotherapy for cancer patients doesn’t hamper and the public don’t have to suffer,” the association said.
It also said that during the initial days of Covid-19 in 2020, the government had released the funds to continue dialysis services for the benefit of patients.
The government has said that the pending payments of private hospitals empanelled with AB-PMJAY SEHAT Scheme in J&K will be released once the issue of the insurance company with SHA is resolved.
There is a dispute between the State Health Agency and the concerned insurance company due to which the payments of empanelled private hospitals and diagnostic centres in J&K are pending from March 2024 leaving the private hospitals to suffer.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer, State Health Agency, J&K, Sanjiv M. Gadkar, had stated that they have told the private healthcare providers that their payments will be released once the issue is resolved. The CEO said they are aware that hospitals are not getting the payments and all the hospitals are providing services to patients.