Telangana’s Arogyasri Network Hospitals have announced that they may stop offering services under the Arogyasri scheme starting January 10. They issued this warning to the state government, citing financial difficulties caused by unpaid dues for over a year.
According to the Telangana Arogyasri Network Hospitals Association (TANA), the government owes them over Rs. 1000 crore. This includes pending payments from the Government Employees Health Scheme (EHS) and the Journalists Health Scheme (JHS). The association has informed the Arogyasri CEO that the financial burden has made it impossible for hospitals to continue providing Arogyasri services.
The state government has released Rs. 820 crore for Arogyasri treatments over the past year. However, TANA claims that Rs. 672 crore in dues were left unpaid during the previous BRS government. They also allege that the situation has worsened under the new Congress government. Private hospitals, they say, are particularly affected, as government hospitals are prioritized for payments, leaving private institutions with mounting arrears.
The Health Department, on the other hand, stated that it recently released Rs. 40 crore and disputes TANA’s claims, saying the total outstanding dues are below Rs. 400 crore. Despite this, the hospitals argue that they cannot sustain services without the full settlement of their pending payments.
