Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Private hospitals and Ayushman Bharat administration have locked horns over payment of bills. Though private hospitals have claimed that most of their bills were not cleared, Ayushman Bharat administration stated that it cleared bills by March 31.
United private hospital directors’ association vice-president Dr Rohit Uike said that FIR was registered against three hospitals on ground of irregularities. “But we all are facing the brunt. Bills of most of private hospitals have not been cleared even after treatment. Bills are pending for last one-and-a-half years,” he added.
During budget session this year, the state government in its reply had informed Vidhan Sabha that investigation was carried out against 150 empanelled hospitals under Ayushman Bharat Yojana. Of them, irregularities were committed by 139 hospitals. However, FIR was registered against only three private hospitals in Bhopal, Indore and Jabalpur.
The hospitals against which FIRs were registered are Central India Kidney Hospital in Jabalpur, Vaishnav Multi-specialty Hospital in Bhopal and Index Medical College, Hospital and Research Centre in Indore for not complying with MoU signed under Ayushman Bharat Yojana and committing irregularities to get undue benefits of the scheme. The irregularities pertained to issuing inflated bills, treatment given to bogus patients.
Meanwhile, private hospitals have announced to deny treatment from April 15 on ground of non-clearance of pending bills under Ayushman Bharat Yojana.
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