BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: The continuing friction between the government and private hospitals over treatment packages and rates under Ayushman Bharat has been hampering the promising scheme, say healthcare experts.

While NITI Aayog clearly stated that more private participation is desperately needed in smaller towns to run the PMJAY program efficiently, the Indian Medical Association has expressed dissatisfaction at the revised rates of packages, saying participation in the scheme was still not viable for private hospitals.

Dr Dharminder Nagar, MD, Paras Healthcare, has said in a statement: “We expect the government to arrive at a genuine understanding with private hospitals over the treatment packages so that private participation under the scheme is increased.”

He stated, “Apart from ironing out differences with the private sector, the government must also boost efforts in the coming year to improve awareness about the scheme on the ground while also ensuring that frauds under the scheme are kept under check.”

Mr Pranav Anam, Founder, The Gene Box, said, “IndiGen project can play a crucial role in evaluating the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and devise strategies to combat them. Bringing in new technologies to healthcare can be instrumental in India's pursuit of universal healthcare."