Specialty hospitals to suspend NTR Vaidya Seva from Oct 10

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Specialty Hospitals Association (ASHA) announced that it will suspend NTR Health Services indefinitely from October 10. The associationstated that network hospitals are unable to continue services under the current financial stress, forcing them to take this decision.

ASHA clarified that until that date, hospitals will no longer be able to provide free pre-surgery tests such as blood tests and scans. These costs will now have to be borne by patients. However, emergency medical services will continue to be provided free of charge, the association assured. The association welcomed the health minister’s statement that Rs 670 crore has already been uploaded to the Comprehensive Financial Management System (CFMS) and another Rs 2,000 crore is under review.

However, ASHA expressed dissatisfaction that bills submitted by hospitals, which should be cleared within 45 days, are being delayed for over 400 days, creating uncertainty.

ASHA further alleged that neither the Chief Minister’s Office nor the Health Minister is being directly informed of the issue, while the government is merely citing the amount uploaded to CFMS as pending dues.

Key demands by ASHA include immediate release of the Rs 670 crore already uploaded in CFMS, a clear schedule for the release of the pending Rs 2,000 crore, no rollout of the proposed insurance-based Universal Health Programme without consultation with network hospitals. The association strongly objected to implementing a new insurance-based universal health programme without first clearing existing dues, calling it a violation of the current MoU. ASHA warned that such a move would threaten the financial stability of network hospitals and, in turn, impact the quality of healthcare services.

ASHA reiterated that it fully supports the government’s commitment to public healthcare but demanded constructive dialogue to resolve the issue. Until the pending Rs 670 crore is released, ASHA members have resolved not to attend any government meetings or discussions. The association says total dues of Rs 2,700 crore and dues as of June 2, 2024 (formation of new government) Rs 2,250 crore while average monthly billing in past 14 months was Rs 380 crore It noted that ‘unscientific’ package rates have led to decline in treatment quality.