Talks Between Government and Private Hospitals Successful, Aarogyasri Services Resume
The discussions between the Telangana government and private hospital managements have concluded successfully, allowing Aarogyasri services to resume in network hospitals from midnight on Monday.
Telangana’s Health Minister, C. Damodar Raja Narsimha, held a meeting on Monday with representatives of the Aarogyasri Network Hospitals. During the meeting, the Minister assured hospitals that their concerns would be addressed and urged them not to disrupt services for poor patients who depend on Aarogyasri.
The Health Minister highlighted that the government had already released ₹1,137 crore in the first year of the scheme and revised package rates to benefit hospitals. He pointed out that while the previous government made average payments of ₹500 crore per year, the Congress government had increased payments to over ₹1,000 crore. He further assured that outstanding dues would be cleared within six months and steps would be taken to avoid future delays.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Dr. Rakesh, President of the Telangana Aarogyasri Network Hospitals Association (TANHA), stated that the hospitals had raised four main financial and non-financial demands. The Health Minister promised to resolve financial issues within four to five months. Additionally, concerns about revising the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), updating package rates, ensuring prompt payments, and creating a grievance redressal mechanism would also be addressed.
Dr. Rakesh added that the Minister agreed to form a dedicated committee to regularly address these issues. The committee will meet periodically to discuss concerns and bring them directly to the Minister’s attention if needed.
The TANHA president announced that Aarogyasri, EHS, and JHS services resumed at 10 p.m. on January 20. It is worth noting that network hospitals had stopped Aarogyasri services for the past ten days, closing counters due to unpaid dues. TANHA had earlier issued a warning to the government, stating they would withdraw services if bills were not cleared by January 10.
With the talks now successful, patients reliant on Aarogyasri services can once again access healthcare in network hospitals.
