Haryana/Panchkula: In a joint statement, O.P. Sihag—District President of the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in Panchkula—and Dr. Kiran Punia—the party's State In-charge for the Women's Wing—stated that the facilities initiated by the government to provide free medical treatment to patients from poor families under the Ayushman Bharat scheme are now on the verge of being discontinued due to the malpractices of senior officials within the Haryana Health Department.
O.P. Sihag noted that, according to information received, Health Department officials have failed to release outstanding dues amounting to crores of rupees to private hospitals and to the Meditrina Heart Center—which operates under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode within the Panchkula Civil Hospital—for services rendered under the aforementioned scheme. Consequently, these institutions are set to discontinue providing free medical treatment to the poor starting June 5th.
He recalled that several months ago, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the administrators of private hospitals had similarly suspended free medical services because the Haryana Health Department had failed to release their outstanding dues, which also amounted to crores of rupees.
O.P. Sihag and Kiran Punia asserted that Health Department officials are deliberately using various pretexts to withhold the payments due from the government to private hospitals in exchange for the free medical treatment provided to Ayushman cardholders under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Sihag argued that private hospitals are fully justified in deciding to suspend operations if they do not receive their outstanding dues—which are their rightful entitlement. He pointed out that, in accordance with the Ayushman scheme, the terms of the agreements signed between these hospitals and the government stipulate that outstanding payments must be cleared within 15 days; however, dues amounting to crores of rupees have remained unpaid for the past four to five months.
Office bearers of the Indian Medical Association have alleged that certain senior officials are deliberately stalling their payments by raising frivolous objections to their bills. The JJP leaders further added that there are rumors circulating that Health Department officials are demanding hefty commissions to facilitate the clearance of bills submitted by private hospitals. JJP District President O.P. Sihag and Dr. Kiran Poonia stated that officials within the Health Department are actively undermining the Ayushman Scheme—an initiative introduced to provide free medical treatment to the poor. It appears that Health Department officials have become completely unbridled, showing absolutely no regard for the directives of the BJP government or its public welfare schemes.
O.P. Sihag and Kiran Poonia have urged the State Health Minister and the Chief Minister to intervene in this matter immediately. They have requested that orders be issued to the concerned officials to promptly clear all legitimate outstanding dues owed to private hospitals in Panchkula, as well as to the Meditrina Heart Center (which operates under the PPP mode) at the Panchkula Civil Hospital. This action would ensure that hundreds of impoverished residents of Panchkula—who are suffering from various serious ailments—can receive timely and free medical treatment under the government's Ayushman Bharat Scheme.