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Private hospitals empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Haryana suspended services to beneficiaries for 24 hours on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) to protest outstanding payments totalling several hundred crores.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Haryana, has warned of a complete withdrawal of services from September 16 if the dues are not cleared.
Ajay Mahajan, Chairman of the Indian Medical Association–Hospital Board of India, said private hospitals normally submit around 2,500 claims daily. Still, no claims were filed on Tuesday (September 1, 2026) as part of the protest. “Hospitals want to work and help needy patients, but the government cannot keep doing charity at the doctors’ expense,” he said.
However, Haryana Health Department officials disputed the claim, saying Ayushman services continued to function normally.
IMA Haryana president Sunila Soni told The Hindu that around ₹1,200 crore owed to private hospitals had remained unpaid since January.
In a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of the Ayushman Health Protection Authority, Haryana, the IMA had warned a week ago that services would be suspended on September 1 over the delay in payments.
“Despite repeated assurances over the past three years, the situation remains unresolved. This symbolic suspension is intended to draw the urgent attention of the Government, concerned authorities, media and the general public to the serious financial difficulties being faced by empanelled hospitals,” read the letter.
The IMA said payment pendency had crossed six months despite an agreed timeline of 15 days for clearing claims.
Ms. Soni said the government had repeatedly offered assurances and released part of the dues whenever hospitals threatened to withdraw services, but the issue had remained unresolved.
She attributed the delays to inadequate budgetary allocation, the large number of beneficiaries and a shortage of manpower for processing claims. She said the current delay was the longest so far.
About 650 hospitals, including government facilities, are empanelled under the scheme in Haryana. In August 2025, private hospitals had kept Ayushman treatment in abeyance for 19 days before resuming services following assurances from government agencies.
The State Health Authority, Haryana, said ₹570 crore had been paid to private hospitals this year and the remaining dues were being processed. It also said 200 private hospitals had sought fresh empanelment and 75 had applied to add new specialities, indicating continued interest in the scheme.
IMA representatives have been invited for discussions with the Ayushman CEO on Wednesday.
Published – September 02, 2026 04:20 am IST
