The Uttar Pradesh government has taken stringent action against approximately 200 private hospitals for allegedly failing to meet prescribed standards under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, officials confirmed on Friday.
Crackdown Ordered by Chief Minister
Under the crackdown ordered by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, payments to nearly 100 hospitals have been halted, while around 100 others have been suspended from the flagship health insurance scheme. This move is part of the government's ongoing efforts to enhance transparency, accountability, and the quality of treatment provided to economically weaker patients covered under the Ayushman scheme, according to Archana Verma, CEO of SACHIS, UP.
Stricter Empanelment and Monitoring
Verma informed that the process of empanelment and monitoring of hospitals has now been made more rigorous through the Hospital Empanelment Module (HEM) 2.0 portal. Under the revised system, hospitals are required to comply with 35 standards, including valid registration certificates, fire safety clearance, infrastructure requirements, doctor qualifications, and mandatory healthcare registrations.
Officials noted that hospitals were repeatedly informed and assisted through emails, phone calls, virtual meetings, and official communications to complete the migration process to the HEM 2.0 portal. While more than 95% of empanelled hospitals complied with the new norms, around 200 private hospitals failed to complete the process despite multiple opportunities.
Affected Districts
The affected hospitals are spread across several districts, including Lucknow, Agra, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, and Varanasi. Officials emphasized that the action was necessary to ensure that beneficiaries receive standard-based and quality healthcare services under the scheme.
Additional Measures
The government has also directed all empanelled hospitals to obtain NABH certification and has intensified regular audits and monitoring at both state and district levels. As part of the larger healthcare digitization push, the state is implementing ABDM-enabled hospital management systems and a phased rollout of Electronic Health Records (EHR) to improve transparency and patient management.
Authorities said strict monitoring is also underway in cases involving alleged misuse of doctors' degrees and credentials, with appropriate action being taken as per rules.
