The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Sunday rejected the Centre’s recently announced packages in its ambitious Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Swasthya Suraksha Mission, under which treatment for coronary bypass, knee replacements and stents, among others, would be 15-20 per cent cheaper than they are under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).
The 205-page draft model tender document shared with the States last month had knee and hip replacements fixed at ₹9,000 each, stenting at ₹40,000, coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) at ₹1.10 lakh, caesarian delivery at ₹9,000, vertebral angioplasty with single stent at ₹50,000 and hysterectomy for cancer at ₹50,000.
Emergency meeting
In an emergency meeting here this evening, the IMA said the package rates were “unacceptable” but appreciated the Centre’s decision to empanel hospitals from 10 beds onwards.
These package rates expose patients to danger in hospitals, as quality will be compromised and corruption will rise, it said. While certain reports said the IMA has fully backed this scheme, this is not true, said the Association. “Our objections about package rates, fund allocation and the insurance model stand unchanged. IMA had also raised the need for scientific costing before fixing the rates,” said Ravi Wankhedkar, National President of the IMA. “The cardinal objections raised by IMA remain to be addressed.”
He, however, said the IMA is willing to partner with the government in the Ayushman scheme provided “the package rates are revised to a reasonable level”.
The Mission in its present form will lead to elimination of small and medium hospitals, Wankhedkar added.