Private hospitals to stop benefits to Central workers

Private hospitals across the National Capital Region ha-ve threatened to stop cashless facility under the Ce-ntral Government Health Scheme (CGHS) to Central government employees and its pensioners if the Union government fails to clear their Rs 170 crore dues by October 31.

The Indian Medical Asso-ciation and Association of Healthcare Providers (Ind-ia) (APHI), on Wednesday, said that if the CGHS empanelled hospitals are not paid their dues by October 31, the said hospitals will be constrained to stop extending cashless hospitalisation services. The IMA added that it would support APHI move at a national level where dues run over Rs 300 crore. The move will effect benefits given to several lakh government employees and pensioners.

They claimed that it is ironical that the CGHS, a government agency, is not respecting or adhering to the written agreement to pay 70 per cent of payment within five days.

”Till date, not a single bill has ever been cleared in this stipulated time. On the contrary, it takes months and years before hospitals are paid their dues. The situation is so grim that hospitals have begun to bleed due to huge outstanding amounts. The system is so bad that at any point of time, the total outstanding dues to hospitals remain between Rs 200-300 crore for months,” said Dr K.K. Aggarwal, IMA national president (elect).

According to director general AHPI Girdhar J. Gyani, one group of hospitals in NCR has outstanding dues of Rs 75 crores for the past three months. “Similarly, one super specialist hospital has an outstanding due of Rs 25 crore. The amount also includes payments to be given to the treating doctors,” said Dr Gyani.

Both the associations have questioned how a doctor or a medical establishment can continue work if the payments are not given to them in time.

The hospitals, however, have already started stalling cashless facilities to the CGHS beneficiaries. One of the beneficiary told this newspaper that the receptionist at the counter of Max Noida refused to take his CGHS card and asked him to pay the full Rs 800-fee for specialist consultation.