In a major relief to patients across Andhra Pradesh, private hospitals have decided to continue offering healthcare services under the NTR Health Scheme. The decision came after a direct assurance from Chief Minister and TDP leader Nara Chandrababu Naidu, who promised to address the issue of long-pending dues.
On Monday, the Andhra Pradesh Specialty Hospitals Association (ASHA) issued an official statement confirming their decision to withdraw the earlier move to suspend NTR scheme services. The association made it clear that their change of stance was based on the CM’s commitment to release a portion of the pending payments.
For several months, hospitals participating in the scheme had been grappling with severe financial stress as bills under the NTR Health Scheme had been piling up since April. With dues mounting and no payments forthcoming, ASHA was on the verge of halting services completely. In fact, the association had already begun implementing a partial suspension across several hospitals.
In the face of mounting alarm, the representatives of ASHA were summoned to a meeting with Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu at Amaravati state secretariat. Dr. Vijay Kumar, President of ASHA, along with Secretary Dr. Avinash and the senior members Nagamalleswara Rao and Ayush Ramesh, were in attendance.
In the meeting, CM Naidu stressed the importance of private hospitals in providing healthcare under the NTR scheme. He recognized the financial difficulties being encountered due to unpaid bills but requested the association to take into consideration the government’s present economic condition. He assured the ASHA team that ₹500 crore would be disbursed at the earliest to assist in clearing a major part of the dues.
With this assurance, ASHA soon made up its mind to restart the services under the scheme. In an interview with the media shortly after the meeting, the ASHA Secretary affirmed that the decision was made in good faith and believed in the Chief Minister’s word.
This opportune intervention by CM Chandrababu Naidu has ensured uninterrupted healthcare facilities for thousands of beneficiaries throughout the state. Now that private hospitals are on board again, the NTR Health Scheme remains an essential lifeline for the population of Andhra Pradesh.
