Chandigarh, August 6 – Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Sh. Sudhir Rajpal, held a detailed meeting today with representatives of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, to address their concerns regarding delayed payments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. He assured them that the state government is actively releasing payments to empanelled hospitals and remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues.
During the meeting, Sh. Rajpal gave a patient hearing to the delegation and acknowledged the challenges faced by the medical fraternity. He reiterated the government’s commitment to clearing all pending dues under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana at the earliest.
Appealing to the IMA representatives, the Additional Chief Secretary urged them to reconsider their decision to go on strike, emphasizing that such action could disrupt essential healthcare services, particularly for economically weaker sections of society. “We understand your concerns, and we are working to address them. However, a strike would adversely affect thousands of poor patients who depend on the scheme for timely and affordable treatment,” he said.
Payments being released by government: Former IMA Haryana President
Dr. D.S. Jaspal, former National Vice-President of the IMA Headquarters and former President of the IMA Haryana State Chapter, said he was not at all in support of the call for a strike. He said, “The government has already initiated the release of pending payments and has assured us that all our concerns will be addressed in a time-bound manner. Under these circumstances, there is no justification for a strike. Any such move would only harm the interests of poor patients who are in urgent need of medical care.” Dr. Jaspal also appealed to his colleagues in the medical fraternity to support the government’s ongoing efforts and to continue delivering uninterrupted healthcare services.
’Resorting to a strike no solution’
Dr. Anil Malik, Member of the IMA Headquarters Standing Committee for AGC 2025–2026, emphasized that grievances should be raised through appropriate platforms and resolved through constructive dialogue. He stated that resorting to a strike would not offer any solution and would only disrupt patient care.
Budget received from State Government
Notably, the budget has already been received from the State Government on 4th August 2025, and accordingly, payment to empanelled hospitals has been initiated on a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) basis. This development reflects the State Government’s commitment to ensuring timely disbursement of funds and uninterrupted delivery of healthcare services under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
The State Health Agency (SHA), Haryana has already processed and paid claims submitted by empanelled hospitals up to the first week of May 2025. A total of Rs. 2,900 crore has been disbursed to hospitals since the inception of the scheme. During the financial year 2025-26, up to 16th July 2025, an amount of Rs. 240.63 crore has been received from the State and Central Governments and fully utilized for settlement of eligible claims.
Claims submitted by empanelled hospitals are processed by a team of 50 doctors through the NHA’s online platform. The portal ensures a transparent and impartial claim allocation process by randomly assigning cases to processors. All deductions are made strictly as per NHA guidelines and only when adequate clinical justification or documentation is lacking. Before any rejection or deduction, hospitals are given an opportunity to upload the required supporting documents such as vital charts, clinical images, OT notes, and test reports. If a hospital disagrees with a deduction, it may file an appeal through the portal. These appeals are reviewed by a designated Medical Audit Committee.
The SHA has also taken cognizance of the grievances raised by hospitals regarding payment delays, claim rejections, and non-processing of claims. To date, over 400 grievances from empaneled hospitals have been formally registered and resolved through the CGRMS 2.0 portal.
