Network hospitals’ strike enters fifth day

Vijayawada: The strike by NTR Vaidya Seva Network Hospitals, under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh Speciality Hospitals Association (ASHA), entered its fifth day as of Tuesday. Started on October 10, the strike has brought all services under the NTR Vaidya Seva scheme in private network hospitals across the state to a halt.

ASHA cited pending dues of approximately Rs 2,700 crore owed by the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust to network hospitals. Of the submitted bills, about Rs 650 crore have already been approved by the Trust’s CEO. The association’s key demands include the immediate release of the approved dues and a clear policy on the settlement of remaining payments. Despite repeated appeals, the state government has yet to respond.

The strike has severely affected healthcare access. Normally, 6,000 to 8,000 cases are registered daily under the scheme. Due to the suspension of services in network hospitals, only about 2,000 cases are currently being registered, meaning roughly 80 per cent of the population is temporarily deprived of government medical aid. At present, NTR Vaidya Seva services are available only in government hospitals and medical colleges, explaining the drastic drop in case registrations.

ASHA said that the protest has been peaceful, and critical patients continue to be referred to government facilities free of cost to prevent life-threatening situations. However, the association warned that if the government continues to remain unresponsive, the agitation will be intensified, with private medical colleges soon joining the strike.

Strike data shows a sharp decline in pre-authorisation requests, with counts dropping from 34,676 before the strike to 18,040 after, a 48 per cent overall reduction, highlighting the significant disruption in public healthcare services caused by the ongoing protest.