500-cr dues of private hospitals not cleared, AAP misusing Ayushman funds: Partap Singh Bajwa

“There are fair chances that the AAP government misused the funds. Instead of clearing the dues of over Rs 500 crore of the private hospitals registered under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, the government misutilised the funds perhaps on other things, including advertisements, purchasing new vehicles and renovation of the houses of ministers and MLAs,” Bajwa said.

The LoP said that private hospitals in the state have suspended treatment to patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. “The private hospitals had claimed that their dues were not cleared by the state government,” he said. “The government even failed to comply with the HC directions.”

Under this scheme, cashless and paperless treatment is available at government and some private hospitals. Initially, it was the Union Government’s programme in which 16.65 lakh families were covered. But in 2022, the then Congress government decided to extend the scheme to families of farmers and those who are not covered under any health scheme, thereby adding 22.12 lakh more beneficiary families.

“By not clearing the dues of the hospitals, the AAP government’s anti-poor face has been exposed. Meanwhile, the government is reluctant to provide the details about where the funds were spent. The government seems to have a lot to hide,”