Haryana private hospitals to suspend Ayushman Bharat services for 24 hours over pending dues

Strike announced over unpaid claims

Private hospitals across Haryana will suspend Ayushman Bharat services for 24 hours on September 1, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Haryana has announced, citing pending claims worth hundreds of crores. The one-day stoppage means Ayushman Bharat facilities at multiple private hospitals will remain closed for the day, though emergency cases will continue to be admitted, according to IMA officials. Hospitals will not take new routine patients under the scheme during the protest.

Dues estimates vary

The scale of pending dues is described differently by those involved. Dr Ajay Mahajan, chairperson of the Hospital Board of India, IMA Haryana, said private hospitals across the state were facing an estimated ₹1,000 crore in pending bills. A figure reported separately by IMA officials, however, puts the unpaid claims at nearly ₹1,200 crore. The association has written to authorities with the overall estimate of pending dues, rather than submitting a hospital-wise or claim-wise breakdown, according to IMA Haryana.

“Estimated bills of around ₹1,000 crore are pending with the state authorities. It is not a new problem. We have been complaining about delay in payment for three years now, but no permanent solution has been found. Therefore, we are taking up the strike,” Mahajan said.

The financial strain is felt acutely at the district level. In Panipat alone, private hospitals have reported around ₹80 crore in pending claims, said Dr Hemendra Mangal, IMA district president. Mangal said delays had put hospitals under severe financial pressure, with some already shutting down and others struggling to survive. He drew a contrast with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, which, he said, settles claims on time while Haryana faces repeated delays.

Hospital-level examples

Illustrating the problem, several hospitals in Gurugram shared specific figures. A hospital in Sector-6 said ₹2,709,087 in payments for January 2022 to December 2025 remained pending, along with ₹257,400 for January to August 2026. Another hospital in Sector 15, Part 2, had ₹7 lakh in bills pending since January 2026, while a hospital on Pataudi Road had ₹6.3 lakh pending for the same period. Three private hospitals in Gurugram collectively had over ₹30 lakh in Ayushman Bharat bills pending. Of the 26 private healthcare facilities empanelled under the scheme in Gurugram, a majority agreed that payments were not received within the stipulated 15-day window.

Committee denies delays

The Haryana Ayushman Bharat committee has denied delays in processing payments. A senior doctor, part of the committee, said, “There are no delays from our end. We regularly process the payments.” The doctor, asking not to be named, agreed that payments are not made within the prescribed 15-day period, but explained that the cross-checking process cannot be completed within 15 days, and that it sometimes takes one to two months to verify everything. The doctor attributed most delays to lack of documentation and proof from the hospitals' end. He also said ₹600 crore had been paid in FY2026-27.

Officials said IMA Haryana had been called for a meeting in Panchkula on September 2, a day after the planned strike.

Wider context and next steps

This is not the first confrontation between private hospitals and the Haryana government this year. Between January and April, the IMA repeatedly threatened to withdraw services over dues dating back to September 2025. In June, nearly 600 private hospitals went on strike for several days over more than ₹400 crore in unpaid claims and low package rates. Around 650 empanelled hospitals suspended services for 19 days from August 7 to 26 over pending payments and alleged arbitrary deductions, with the protest ending after the government agreed to expedite reviews of flagged cases and withdraw show-cause notices. A review meeting was scheduled for October 15.

IMA spokesperson Dr Kamal Charaya said the government had been given time to clear the dues, and the association would decide its next course of action on September 15. The IMA has warned of a longer suspension from September 16 if the dues are not cleared. Mahajan similarly said that if the situation continues beyond September ​15, the board might suggest a complete shutdown of Ayush services at private hospitals until the payments are cleared.

Government and opposition responses

The government has defended its disbursal process. Rajeev Jaitley, media adviser to the Chief Minister, said discrepancies had been found in some hospital bills. Opposition leaders, including Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Geeta Bhukkal, Aditya Surjewala, and Vinesh Phogat, have criticised the government over the handling of the scheme.