Complaining about the inordinate delay in reimbursement from the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI) has now approached the Union Health Ministry for drawing its attention to outstanding dues at private hospitals across India.
“Hospitals are forced to avoid/refuse beneficiaries for treatment. Just to cite a case, we have collected sample data of outstanding from 61 hospitals which have outstanding amounts of more than ₹500 crores,’’ the APHI, a not-for-profit organisation representing a group of healthcare providers in India, said in its communication.
Stating that the CGHS is one of the government’s key initiatives and a part of its larger ‘universal health coverage’ objectives, the association said that, over the years, the scheme was losing its sheen, both among healthcare providers as well as beneficiaries. The key anomalies in the present system include an inordinate delay in reimbursement to hospitals and low rates of reimbursement, which have not been revised since 2014.