Chandigarh [India], August 5 (ANI): Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) has restarted the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme for beneficiaries from Punjab on Friday.

Kumar Gaurav Dhawan, Deputy Director (Administration ) PGIMER said, "The Institute has taken this decision on the directives from the Prime Minister's and Union Health Minister's offices to restart the programme so that the patients should not suffer."

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Communication has been received from Secretary Health, Punjab Government inter-alia, stating that in the next few days all pending dues will be cleared.

Dhawan further elaborated, "For the institute, patient care is the top priority. We have restarted extending the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme for beneficiaries from Punjab from today so that patients coming from Punjab should not suffer.We earnestly request the competent authorities to address the issue at the earliest to enable us sustain our decision taken only in the interest of our patients' well-being."

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Earlier, PGIMER Chandigarh was constrained to stop the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat scheme for beneficiaries from Punjab over pending claims exceeding Rs 15 crores from August 1 onwards. However, the patients from the state of Punjab continued to seek treatment at the institute as routine patients by paying the user charges or under other applicable welfare schemes, if so eligible.

Before taking the decision, the Institute had already brought the matter to the notice of the State Health Authority (SHA), Punjab and National Health Authority (NHA), on April 1, 2022, May 13, 2022 and June 7, 2022. Later the matter was even brought to the attention of senior officers of the Government of Punjab. (ANI)

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