Srinagar: Senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and former minister Naeem Akhtar has expressed grave concerns over the suspension of treatment services in private hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Jammu and Kashmir. The disruption, caused by non-payment of funds, has left hundreds of patients in dire straits, Akhtar said in a statement on Thursday.Akhtar termed the situation a “severe breach of trust” by the government, affecting both the patients who rely on these services and the hospitals that provide them. Private hospitals in the region have ceased operations under the Ayushman Bharat scheme due to unpaid claims pending since March 2024.”It is scandalous and frightening that private hospitals in Jammu and Kashmir have not received payments since March, with the outstanding amount reportedly standing at ₹160 crore. This delay has led to immense suffering for patients, especially those undergoing critical treatments such as dialysis in private hospitals, which government hospitals lack the capacity to provide,” Akhtar said.He further urged the administration to immediately release the pending funds, warning that the current situation exposes the government’s failure to deliver on its promises. “On one hand, they claim to have brought great benefits to the state, but this incident clearly busts that false narrative,” Akhtar remarked.He said that the delay in payments under the Ayushman Bharat scheme has particularly affected kidney patients, who rely heavily on private hospitals for dialysis due to the inadequate facilities in government hospitals.
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