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Private Hospitals in Haryana Suspend Ayushman Bharat Services Over Rs. 490 Crore Pending Dues

The decision affects nearly 650 private hospitals empanelled under the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme, which offers ?5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care. These facilities will stop offering treatment under the scheme starting midnight of August 7.

• By PTI
• Chandigarh
• Aug 08, 2025

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Healthcare services under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) have been suspended across private hospitals in Haryana, following a deadlock over long-pending dues. The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana chapter, made the announcement on Thursday, citing the state government's failure to clear reimbursements despite repeated assurances.

The decision affects nearly 650 private hospitals empanelled under the Centre’s flagship health insurance scheme, which offers ₹5 lakh per family annually for secondary and tertiary care. These facilities will stop offering treatment under the scheme starting midnight of August 7.

The IMA had earlier warned of withdrawing services if dues were not cleared, and after a meeting with senior state officials, including Haryana's Additional Chief Secretary (Health) Sudhir Rajpal on Wednesday, the association said no satisfactory resolution was reached.

Dr. Dhirender K Soni, Secretary of IMA Haryana, stated, “The government itself admits that ₹490 crore is pending. By the time they begin disbursing, the backlog will only grow. How are private hospitals expected to operate without timely reimbursements?”

He further emphasized that several months of delayed payments have placed immense financial strain on private hospitals. Following Wednesday’s inconclusive talks with the state government, IMA convened a virtual meeting with all empanelled hospitals, where it was unanimously decided to suspend services.

While the state government has maintained that it is actively addressing the issue, stating that claims up to the first week of May 2025 have already been processed, hospitals argue that the scale of pending payments far exceeds the settlements made so far. According to official data, ₹240.63 crore has been released and utilized during the ongoing financial year up to July 16.

Sudhir Rajpal, in his meeting with IMA representatives, acknowledged the hardships faced by the medical fraternity and assured them of the government’s commitment to clearing all outstanding dues at the earliest. He appealed to the association to reconsider the decision, stressing the risk such a move poses to the healthcare needs of economically weaker sections who rely heavily on the scheme.

“We understand the concerns of the hospitals, but suspending services will adversely affect thousands of poor patients who depend on Ayushman Bharat for critical and affordable healthcare,” Rajpal said.

Despite these assurances, the IMA said there was no concrete timeline or guarantee offered regarding the release of dues, forcing hospitals to take this drastic step.

The suspension marks a major setback for the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Haryana and highlights growing tensions between private healthcare providers and state health authorities over financial delays. With the standoff continuing, thousands of low-income patients in the state may now face barriers to accessing timely medical care under the scheme.