SRINAGAR: The government has prohibited private hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir from performing key surgical procedures under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
Four surgeries—cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), haemorrhoidectomy (haemorrhoid removal), sphincterotomy (for fissures), and appendectomy (appendix removal)—have been removed from the list for private hospitals and are now limited to government-run healthcare facilities.
“In pursuance of decisions taken in the 8th & 9th Governing Council meetings of the State Health Agency, significant changes will be implemented in the Health Benefits Packages (HBP) 2.2 across all empanelled public and private hospitals in the UT of JK,” reads the official order.
“The 10% additional package price previously applied to private hospitals under HBP 2.2 shall no longer be applicable. All packages for private hospitals will now be standardised as per the base rates under HBP 2.2,” it reads.
“For Sub-District Hospitals (SDHs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs), package rates shall be set at 65% of HBP 2.2 rates. For District Hospitals, Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), and private hospitals, package rates shall remain at 100% of HBP 2.2 rates,” the order further reads.
“The medical procedures of appendectomy, cholecystectomy, haemorrhoidectomy, and fissure shall now be exclusively reserved for public hospitals,” it adds.
A spokesperson for the Private Hospitals Association said that the decision by the Jammu and Kashmir State Health Agency to reduce package rates by 10% has placed private hospitals in a difficult position.
“This move makes it challenging for us to continue providing services and goes against the vision of universal health insurance, which aims to ensure comprehensive healthcare coverage for all residents of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
“To make matters worse, four surgical procedures have been reserved exclusively for public hospitals, further restricting the services private hospitals can offer,” he added.
“This decision, along with the reserved procedures, undermines our ability to provide quality care. Despite our commitment to serving the community, the reduced rates make it unsustainable for us to continue operations,” the spokesperson said.
“Moreover, Rs 350 crore in pending payments remain unpaid, despite assurances from the Chief Secretary that all outstanding payments would be cleared by December 2024,” he added.
“Private hospitals provide employment to around 10,000 youth. With this decision, these institutions will be forced to lay off employees, leading to increased unemployment,” the spokesperson said.
“As a result, private hospitals will stop providing services under the Ayushman Bharat/SEHAT Scheme from March 15, 2025, unless the government reconsiders its decision,” he added.
Meanwhile, private hospitals have already suspended all services under the Ayushman Bharat scheme and have decided to terminate 50% of their staff. Employees have started receiving messages from hospital and dialysis centre owners regarding mass layoffs.
