The Telangana Aarogyasri Network Hospitals Association (TANHA) on Monday, September 15, declared an indefinite halt to services under the Aarogyasri scheme. The halt in services starting from September 16 midnight would affect families living below the poverty line (BPL). Aarogyasri gave financial protection of up to Rs 2 lakh in a year for BPL patients dealing with serious ailments.
The scheme is paid for by the Telangana government.
“Despite repeated assurances and promises from both the Health Department and Aarogyasri Health Care Trust (AHCT), there has been no resolution to our long-pending issues. We are, therefore, left with no option but to indefinitely withhold services across all private network hospitals in Telangana from September 16, 11:59 pm,” TANHA president Vaddiraju Rakesh said in a statement.
“There are many problems in delivering effective services to the beneficiaries of Aarogyasri, the employees’ health scheme (EHS), and the journalists’ health scheme (JHS), with a looming danger of closure of many of our member hospitals in view of financial overburden,” TANHA added.
Earlier this year, TANHA had boycotted services owing to several issues, including non-payment of dues, but ended the 10-day strike after Damodara Rajanarsimha assured them that the issue would be solved.
The TANHA’s boycott comes close on the heels of the boycott by several private educational institutions in Telangana. Private colleges decided to remain closed indefinitely from September 15, observing Engineer’s Day as a ‘Black Day’ in protest against the Congress government’s failure to release long-pending fee reimbursement dues.
The announcement for this was made by the Federation of Associations of Telangana Higher Institutions (FATHI). The Federation has already submitted a notice regarding this to Telangana Council of Higher Education (TGCHE) Chairman, professor V Balakista Reddy in Hyderabad on Friday, September 12.
In their representation, FATHI reminded the government that the Reimbursement of Tuition Fee (RTF) for SC, ST, BC, EBC, and minority students has been pending for a long time, amounting to Rs 8,000 crore.