Hospitals with 50 beds barred from treating patients under AB scheme

Hospitals with 50 or lesser beds will not be allowed to treat patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in four cities of Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal, Gwalior, Indore and Jabalpur – from April 1.

An order to this effect has been passed by Ayushman Bharat Niramayam Madhya Pradesh and is limited to the four MP cities.

“The accreditation of hospitals having 50 or lesser beds in the four cities under the Ayushman Bharat scheme with regard to the general medicine category will be valid only till March 31,” the order read.

“This is a ridiculous order that aims to benefit medical colleges at the cost of the vulnerable poor patients who are entitled to avail benefits under the Ayushman Bharat scheme. The logic behind enforcing this order in just four cities fails a rational mind. When a patient is suffering from ailments that fall under the general medicine category, he is first expected to find out the number of beds that the nearest hospital has,” an owner of a private nursing home in Bhopal told India Today on the condition of anonymity.

Dr Apoorva Tripathi, vice president of the Indian Medical Association, Bhopal, said that it’s a typical case of treating a problem without identifying the malady.

“Assuming that they are trying to tackle corruption, how prudent is it to say that hospitals having more than 50 beds will not indulge in corrupt practices. The duty of the NABH is to provide accreditation on the basis of merit. If someone is corrupt, big or small, his accreditation should be cancelled but there is no logic in creating class division,” Dr Tripathi said.

Under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, accredited hospitals have to inform and seek approval from the Ayushman Bharat portal before commencing with the treatment of the patients. Once the required approvals are taken, the patient is not supposed to make any payment and the hospital is compensated directly by the government. India Today