63 Hospitals In Nanded Await ₹15.92 Crore Under Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana

The Maharashtra government had to cut the funds of various schemes to implement the ambitious ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme in the state. Scholarships and funds of several other schemes were affected as their allocations were diverted to Ladki Bahin. The impact of this fund transfer is now visible on the Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (MPJAY). Under the scheme, the government has not paid a single rupee to private hospitals in 35 districts that provide treatment to poor and needy patients. In Nanded district alone, 63 hospitals have pending dues amounting to ₹15.92 crore. Meanwhile, the process of including new hospitals in the scheme is underway.

Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women below the poverty line are provided financial aid. Before the Assembly elections, the government announced this scheme to offer personal benefits to women. As the budget required for its implementation is high, funds from other important schemes have been diverted. As a result, the funds provided to private hospitals offering free treatment under MPJAY have been stopped for the past two months.

In Nanded district, 63 hospitals are enrolled under MPJAY and have not received around ₹16 crore for treatment services rendered. These hospitals are now facing a financial crisis due to the lack of government funding. If the situation persists, it will become difficult for them to continue offering free treatment to needy patients. If the funds are not released, they may be forced to stop treatment, hospital directors have said.

Despite this, the government has decided to include hospitals with more than 30 beds and speciality hospitals with 10 beds under MPJAY, and the process for this has already begun. It remains to be seen how many hospitals will show interest in joining the scheme when existing hospitals are still awaiting payments.

MPJAY district coordinator Dr Dipesh Kumar Sharma stated that although dues to hospitals are pending, efforts are being made to ensure that not a single patient is denied necessary treatment. The administration is vigilant to ensure that needy patients receive the required care through the scheme.