Private hospitals in Telangana halt Aarogyasri, EHS services over pending payments

Private hospitals in Telangana stopped accepting Aarogyasri and EHS cards, citing pending payments of up to Rs 1,500 crore and unresolved grievances. Patients were forced to pay upfront, as hospitals demand timely bills clearance, revised MoUs, and a grievance mechanism.

Hyderabad: Patients covered under Aarogyasri Health Insurance and government employees under Employee Health Scheme (EHS) on Tuesday had a tough time accessing health care facilities in private hospitals across Telangana.

The indefinite blockage of healthcare services for Aarogyasri and EHS-covered patients, launched by private hospitals from Tuesday, was total. With Aarogyasri and EHS cards not getting accepted, patients now had to pay upfront to access health care services in private hospitals.

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Huge signboards and banners, announcing that Aarogyasri and EHS cards were not getting accepted and the reasons for the protests, were put up by managements of private hospitals.

“The protests did not start overnight, as we made it a point to meet all the concerned health authorities to share our grievances. Since the middle of August, we have been raising our concerns about pending medical bills and delayed payment. Nobody has bothered to resolve these issues. Blocking Aarogyasri and EHS was the last resort,” says president, Telangana Aarogyasri Network Hospitals (TANHA), Dr V Rakesh.

At present, medical bills ranging from Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 crore have to be released by the State government to private hospitals. Senior doctors from private hospitals said that the State government had promised to fulfil all their demands in the month of January, 2025. However, none of the issues raised by hospitals were fulfilled.

“There is a need to have a lasting resolution for our issues. There are number of financial and non-financial issues, which we have raised. Only Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy has to take a call,” Dr Rakesh said.

What are major demands of private hospitals?

* Release of pending medical bills totaling to nearly Rs 1500 crore

* A preferential process to ensure regular payment to hospitals

* Redrafting of MoUs with private hospitals

* Revision of health packages

* Establishment of reddressal mechanism

* Bifurcation between AAROGYASHRI ANS EHS/JHS

* Stop cancellations/deductions of due amounts