The Indian Medical Association’s (IMA) Haryana chapter has said that private hospitals across the state will suspend services under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) starting August 7. The move comes in protest against delayed reimbursement payments, despite the state’s recent release of partial dues.
According to a statement issued on August 6, the IMA said it would go ahead with the strike, citing a long-standing delay in payments to hospitals empanelled under the central health insurance scheme. This decision follows a July 28 notice where the association accused the Haryana government of neglecting repeated appeals over the past several months to clear pending claims – some overdue by six to seven months.
“The total outstanding dues amount to nearly ₹500 crore,” said Dhirendra Soni, honorary secretary of IMA Haryana. He added that while the state health agency (SHA) began partial disbursement of payments on a “first in, first out” basis from August 4, it failed to address the larger issue or offer a long-term solution.
The SHA, in its official response, stated that claims submitted by hospitals had been processed and paid up to the first week of May 2025. It also said that since the inception of the scheme, ₹2,900 crore had been disbursed to hospitals, including ₹240.63 crore during the current financial year up to July 16, 2025 – all of which had been fully utilised.
Despite these efforts, Soni said there remains a significant trust gap between hospitals and the state agency, due to repeated delays in reimbursements and lack of transparency in the process.
A hospital administrator from Gurugram echoed these concerns, warning that prolonged delays have resulted in severe cash flow issues for many hospitals, jeopardising their day-to-day operations.
The IMA has demanded that the government adhere to the contractual clause requiring the payment of 1% weekly interest on reimbursement delays exceeding 15 days-a provision that hospitals say has never been honoured.
Currently, 1,341 hospitals in Haryana are enrolled under the AB-PMJAY scheme, including approximately 650 private hospitals. Under the scheme, patients receive free treatment and hospitals later file reimbursement claims via an online portal. These claims are reviewed and paid by the state agency.
Adding to the hospitals’ burden is the state’s Chirayu scheme, launched in November 2022. Running parallel to the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat programme, the Chirayu scheme has significantly increased the number of beneficiaries, further complicating and delaying the payment process, according to the IMA’s open letter to the government.
The IMA said that while hospitals initially supported the Ayushman Bharat scheme wholeheartedly, they are now struggling to keep up with administrative delays and erratic payments brought on by the overlapping implementation of the Chirayu initiative.