BENGALURU: On Sunday, medical practitioners from across the state voiced out three problems that they have with the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Treatment at private hospitals at subsidised rates, the omission of several critical procedures from subsidised treatment and difficulty of private hospitals to give quality treatment to patients at the low rates prescribed were issues pointed out to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan at the RGUHS during an informal talk.
According to a doctor, the referral system, where patients can be treated at private hospitals only on the recommendation of a government hospital or PHC/CHC, was leading to corruption as patients are charged for referrals. “Procedures like caesarean sections and normal deliveries are not under the ambit of the scheme,” explained Dr Bhagwan, professor of surgery at KIMS.
The Minister provided a ray of hope by pointing out that the scheme would be improved upon based on the recommendations of more than 300 professionals. “Three days ago, there have been rational revision to add new packages. I will talk to the CEO about implementation lacuna at the local level,” he said.