CGHS: Hospitals likely to stop cashless treatment

   Central government employees getting health treatment at specialty hospitals under Central Government Health Service (CGHS) might not be able to avail the health services under the scheme after a few months as AP Specialty Hospitals Association (ASHA) announced here in a press conference that they might stop cashless treatment as they are not getting reimbursed on time under the CGHS.

Bhaskar Rao, president, ASHA pointed out that the tariffs under the CGHS does not match with the actual expenses incurred by the hospitals which is posing a problem. “Last time tariffs  for different treatments were fixed in 2002 without any scientific basis. In the last 10 years,  the prices of all other commodities have gone up but not the tariffs of the CGHS,” he said. He added that though the rates were revised in 2010, some rates increased by 10-20 per cent and some were dropped by the same  percentage.  Members of ASHA and and Association of Healthcare Providers (India) (AHPI) discussed the course of action that need to be taken regarding the issue here today.

President of ASHA also mentioned that in the State alone, amounts around Rs 40 crore need to be paid to hospitals under the CGHS scheme, though the payments are supposed to be made within 10 days after a patient is treated. Devi Shetty, founder, AHPI questioned “half the patients we treat are under the CGHS. If we don’t get paid for the same for a period of one year, how can we pay salaries to our staff and run a hospital”.// By Express News Service – HYDERABAD//