The government maintains that the State Health Agency (SHA), Haryana, has already processed and paid claims submitted by empanelled hospitals up to the first week of May 2025.The Haryana chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Thursday announced the suspension of services under Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) in the state over pending dues of empanelled hospitals despite an assurance from the state government to release the payments at the earliest.In Haryana, the IMA represents nearly 650 private hospitals empanelled under AB-PMJAY, a flagship scheme of the Narendra Modi-led government that provides a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care.IMA’s Haryana secretary Dhirender K Soni said, “The government itself admits that Rs 490 crore in dues are pending. By the time they will disperse this amount, the pendency will keep on increasing. What will private hospitals do? How can they sustain if they do not get reimbursements on time?”.Soni said that talks were held Wednesday with senior state government officials, but it did not yield the desired outcome.In a statement, the Haryana branch of the IMA said that state health officials informed them they had received ?245 crore from the government and that payments to empanelled hospitals were being processed on a first-in-first-out basis. The IMA termed the amount “insufficient.”IMA state unit president Dr Mahaveer P Jain said, “We have learnt that out of the sanctioned amount of `245 crore, only `30–40 crore has been released to the empanelled hospitals. If we start treating patients, then bills amounting to ?5–7 crore will be raised daily. Now, we want that all the bills are cleared within 15 days”.Earlier on Tuesday, the Haryana government had said that the claims of empanelled hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat scheme are being settled. On Wednesday, Additional Chief Secretary (Health), Sudhir Rajpal, held a detailed meeting with representatives of the IMA to address their concerns regarding delayed payments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.Story continues below this adAn official statement said that Rajpal assured them that the state government is actively releasing payments to the empanelled hospitals and remains fully committed to resolving all outstanding issues.He reiterated the government’s commitment to clearing all pending dues under the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana at the earliest.Rajpal had appealed to the IMA representatives and urged them to reconsider their decision on suspending the service, emphasising that such action could disrupt essential healthcare services, particularly for economically weaker sections of society.“We understand your concerns, and we are working to address them. However, a strike would adversely affect thousands of poor patients who depend on the scheme for timely and affordable treatment,” Rajpal had said.Story continues below this adThe government maintains that the State Health Agency (SHA), Haryana, has already processed and paid claims submitted by empanelled hospitals up to the first week of May 2025.During the financial year 2025-26, up to July 16, `240.63 crore has been received from the state and central governments and fully utilised for the settlement of eligible claims.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd