NTR Medical Services Network (Aarogyasri) Hospitals, which provide free medical services to the poor, are suspending medical services across the state from Friday. The AP Speciality Hospital Association (ASHA) said in a statement that the prices of medical expenses have already increased drastically, the government is paying the old prices, and monthly bills are not being paid on time, and this decision has been taken.
It said that despite receiving bills worth Rs 380 crore every month, the arrears have been accumulating for a year. It said that the government is not giving clarity on the payment of arrears. The Aarogyasri scheme has been implemented in the state since 2005. 2,446 medical services are being provided through hospitals under the NTR Medical Services Network.
Many hospitals have withdrawn from medical services as the government has not released money for the treatment provided properly. Currently, there are 2,291 hospitals under the NTR Medical Services Network in the state. Of these, 1,397 are government hospitals and 894 are private hospitals. Bills are being made every month to the tune of Rs. 380 crore to Rs. 420 crore.
There was a limit on medical expenses of Rs. 5 lakh when Jaganmohan Reddy was the Chief Minister. The TDP coalition government has increased this limit to Rs. 25 lakh. Of this, insurance companies will cover up to Rs. 2.50 lakh, while the government has announced that it will provide up to Rs. 25 lakh through health trusts. It is reported that the government owes a total of Rs. 2,700 crore to the hospitals providing medical services to NTR in the state.
Hospital sources say that in 2010, disposal and sterile gauze were Rs. 10, but now they have increased to Rs. 22, IV cannula from Rs. 22 to Rs. 40, syringe 5 ml, 10 ml from Rs. 3 to Rs. 6, normal saline 500 ml from Rs. 20 to Rs. 40, suture material from Rs. 135 to Rs. 325, and the MOU costs with the trust have increased from Rs. 10.000 to Rs. 40,000.
Meanwhile, State Medical and Health Minister Satyakumar Yadav has urged the owners of NTR Medical Services Network hospitals to resolve the problems soon and continue medical services without stopping. Stating that the previous government had left behind arrears of about Rs. 2,500 crore, he said that he hopes that the representatives of the hospital owners will understand the state’s financial situation.