AP Nursing Homes Association is anxiously waiting for state government’s order in respect to recently agreed 25 per cent price hike in all medical procedures covered under Arogyasri healthcare scheme.

After having convinced the government to have a 25 per cent hike for procedures covered under Arogyasri healthcare scheme, the doctors association in the state are now worried for the inordinate delay by the government in issuing the order in this regard.

As the hike will come in force only after a government order, the doctors are now demanding the government to release the order as soon as possible so that it can be implemented to patients who are continuously enrolling under the Arogyasri scheme.

In fact earlier, the AP Nursing Homes Association had issued a notice to halt attending the Arogyasri patients if the government did not heed their voices. After taking cognizance of doctors demands, the Arogyasri trust and the government have agreed to have a uniform hike for all medical procedures covered under Arogyasri scheme, but even after 20 days there is no movement from the government’s side to release a GO in this respect, without which the new hike will not come into force.

The inordinate delay is forcing the doctors to stop taking patients under Arogyasri scheme as they are not sure from when this new hike will come into effect. The notice submitted by them to the Aarogyasri Health Care Trust stated that May 3 would be the last day to admit patients. As that deadline has long expired, doctors were expecting some relief from the government.

AP Nursing Homes Association president Dr Krishna Prasad says, “Every day we admit at least four patients under the scheme. We have made it amply clear that economically it's not possible to go ahead with the scheme but the government is not getting it.”

The doctors have been discussing with various hospitals the options to make the government realise the severity of the problem. “We are very busy with our patients and surgeries. We can't go to the Secretariat to follow-up on the government order. We accepted their word in good faith and hope the government honours it,” said a senior doctor of AP Super Specialty Hospitals Association.