AP TG Aarogyasri: Aarogyasri in Telugu states.

AP TG Aarogyasri: Aarogyasri services stopped in Telugu states. In AP and Telangana, private hospitals have announced that they are suspending services to patients due to the huge accumulation of Arogya Shree dues. Network hospitals are objecting to the announcement that Arogya Shree services will be brought under insurance coverage in Andhra Pradesh.

On the other hand, the dues given to hospitals in AP have reached almost Rs 3 thousand crores. As a result, hospitals gave up, saying they would not provide services unless the dues were paid. Moreover, some hospitals have also started suppressing such patients who are in helpless condition. Taking advantage of the need for treatment and the concern of relatives.

For the last ten days, all network hospitals in AP have closed all services except emergency services. In some places dialysis services are also provided at one’s own expense. Aarogyasri counters were closed in private hospitals across the state. Patients are facing serious difficulties due to lack of emergency medical services and surgical treatment. Private hospitals are forcing patients to seek emergency treatment.

After the dues of Arogya Shree in Andhra Pradesh reached Rs 3 thousand crore, the state government had announced to give Rs 500 crore, but it has not been completed. Due to this, the services of Aarogyasri and EHS have been stopped from January 6. Even after 13 days of closure of Arogya Shree services in network hospitals, there has been no response from the government.

Emergency medical services, heart diseases, gastrointestinal problems, dialysis patients are facing serious difficulties in accessing Arogya Shree services. In the absence of Arogya Shree, private hospitals are squeezing as much money as possible from the patients. There are criticisms that various frauds are being committed in carrying out surgical treatments. Patients admitted for emergency treatment are being charged double the original estimate.

Indiscriminate exploitation of private hospitals

In Vijayawada, a man undergoing surgery to remove gallstones was charged double at the hospital because the stones were not detected during the surgery. The victims told Hindustan Times that the doctors told them that the medical examination would cost Rs 25,000 and the surgery would cost Rs 70,000 and then they charged another Rs 75,000. The victim Punna Rao said that he refused to go to any hospital for the services of Arogya Shree. The lack of complaint mechanisms against the conduct of hospitals has become a major problem.

Same in Telangana too…

Telangana Arogya has suspended medical services in hospitals due to dispute over payment of dues. Earlier Aarogyasri used to provide free medical services up to Rs 5 lakh. At present, the limit of medical services under Aarogyasri Scheme has been increased to Rs 10 lakh, but the services in hospitals have stopped. Even before Sankranti, hospitals pressured the government to release the pending dues but to no avail.

Due to closure of Arogya Shree services in hospitals, patients have to pay for treatment. In Telangana, there are 1042 government hospitals and 368 private hospitals across the state under the Aarogyasri network. 18-20 super specialty hospitals in Hyderabad are also providing medical services at Aarogyasri. Bills worth Rs 1000 crore are pending for treatment in hospitals. Hospitals are alleging that the Arogya Shree Bills have been kept pending since Congress came to power.

Telangana Network Hospitals Association had written a letter to the CEO of Aarogyasri Trust in the first week of January for the outstanding amount. Aarogyasri said that if the pending bills are not paid by the 10th, the services will be stopped. Aarogyasri Trust negotiated with network hospitals and cleared pending dues of up to Rs 120 crore. However, the network hospitals demanded that only 45 days of pending dues be paid by the end of this month, but the government did not respond, so they stopped services from the same day.

Telangana Network Hospitals Association, in a statement on Sunday, demanded the government to immediately pay the pending dues of Aarogyasri to the network hospitals across the state. The statement said that network hospitals are not even able to pay rent, salaries of medical staff are not being paid and suppliers of medicines and surgical supplies have also stopped their supplies. He appealed for immediate payment of pending dues and issuance of Aarogyasri bills every month.

BRS is the sin of Congress…

BRS has seriously misjudged the government’s attitude. On the other hand, Telangana Medical and Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha said that the same people who harmed Arogyasree in the last ten years are now talking about the scheme. He said that Aarogyasri did not pay the bills to the hospitals during the BRS regime and the prices of the packages were not revised. He criticized the outstanding amount of about Rs 730 crore. He told that he has paid Rs 1130 crore including old dues within a year and is paying the bills every month. He said steps were being taken to address other issues raised by the network hospitals.