Month: March 2025

Private hospitals across Jammu and Kashmir have suspended free medical services and initiated mass layoffs after the government removed four key surgical procedures from the Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme. The decision, which reserves surgeries like cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and haemorrhoidectomy for government hospitals, has triggered a crisis, with private healthcare providers warning of unsustainable operations and financial distress.

The government has removed four surgeries from the list for private hospitals and restricted them to government-run healthcare facilities.

The procedures as per Kashmir News Observer include cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder), haemorrhoidectomy (haemorrhoid), sphincterotomy (fissure), and appendectomy (appendix). “In pursuance of the decisions taken in the 8th & 9th Governing Council meeting of the State Health Agency, it has been decided to implement significant changes in the Health Benefits Packages (HBP) 2.2 across all empanelled public and private hospitals in the UT of J&K,” reads the official order.

“The 10% additional package price that was previously applied to private hospitals under HBP 2.2 shall no longer be applicable. All packages for private hospitals will be standardized as per the base rates under HBP 2.2.” It reads.

“Sub-District Hospitals (SDH) / Community Health Centres (CHCs): Package rates shall be set at 65% of HBP 2.2 rates. District Hospitals, Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), and Private Hospitals: Package rates shall remain at 100% of HBP 2.2 rates.” It reads further.

“Sub-District Hospitals (SDH) / Community Health Centres (CHCs): Package rates shall be set at 65% of HBP 2.2 rates. District Hospitals, Government Medical Colleges (GMCs), and Private Hospitals: Package rates shall remain at 100% of HBP 2.2 rates.” It reads further.

Pvt hospitals suspend all free services
Meanwhile, reacting to the order a Private Hospitals Association spokesperson said that the decision of the Jammu and Kashmir State Health Agency to reduce package rates for procedures by 10% has put private hospitals in a quandary. “This move not only makes it challenging for us to continue providing services but also goes against the vision of universal health insurance, which aims to provide comprehensive healthcare coverage to all residents of Jammu and Kashmir,” he added.

“To make matters worse, four surgical procedures have now been reserved exclusively for public hospitals, further restricting the services private hospitals can offer,” he added.

“This decision, coupled with the reservation of four surgical procedures exclusively for public hospitals, undermines our ability to provide quality care to our patients. Despite our commitment to serving the community, the reduced rates make it unsustainable for us to continue operations,” the spokesman said.

“Moreover, our Rs 350 crore are pending with the government though the Chief Secretary had stated that all the previous payments will be cleared by the end of Dec 2024,” he added.

“Private hospitals provide employment to about 10000 youth and by this decision these institutions will be forced to relieve the employees thus creating more unemployed youth,” spokesperson added.

“As a result, private hospitals are being forced to stop providing services under Ayushman Bharat/SEHAT Scheme from March 15, 2025 to the public, which will undoubtedly affect the community till the government doesn’t reconsider its decision,” he added.

Meanwhile private hospitals suspended all services provided under Ayushman scheme and decided to terminate 50 percent of the staff hired. Employees have started receiving messages from owners of private hospitals and Dialysis Centres for mass exit. “It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you the message traversed by your employers who comprise the association of an extremely difficult decision that affects all 11,230 employees working across various private hospitals and dialysis centers in Jammu and Kashmir,” reads one such message.

“As you may be aware, the government has decided to remove four critical procedures from the approved list effective March 15, 2025. These procedures account for 70% of indoor patient flow, making it impossible for hospitals to sustain operations. Additionally, payments have not been released, and without financial support, we regret to inform you that we will not be able to pay salaries going forward,” the message reads.

“Due to these unforeseen circumstances, we are left with no choice but to initiate a mass exit to 50% of the employees working across different departments of the hospitals and dialysis centres across J&K. We kindly request all employees to serve a one-month notice period from today,” it reads.

“This is not a decision we take lightly, and we deeply appreciate your dedication and hard work in serving countless patients over the years especially the Ayushman Bharat era. We understand the impact this will have on you and your families, and we stand with you in this difficult time. We will do our best to provide any necessary documentation or references to assist you in transitioning to new opportunities,” it reads further.

“As they claim they have made necessary arrangements in public hospitals for the patients they surely have you all in consideration and will adjust you in their public hospitals as well. We will be happy to serve you the work experiences as required. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and service. We hope that the authorities reconsider their decision in the interest of patient care and healthcare workers across the region,” it reads. Kashmir Observer

From a console in Shanghai, French surgeon Youness Ahallal guided robotic arms in Morocco with real-time precision, delicately removing a patient’s tumor.

Despite the staggering 12,000-kilometer distance between them, China’s domestically developed Toumai surgical robot bridged the geographical divide to make transcontinental surgery a reality.

“With telecommunication techniques, Toumai Robot allows real-time, high-definition imaging and precise control of the robotic arms from a long distance,” said Liu Yu, executive vice president of Shanghai Microport Medbot (Group) Co., Ltd, developer of the robot.

This breakthrough enables patients in underserved regions to access world-class medical expertise without enduring exhausting cross-border journeys. “The system also revolutionizes surgical workflows for doctors,” Liu emphasized. “Previously, conducting cross-regional operations required extensive travel and coordination. Now, specialists can operate remotely with high efficiency.”

To date, the Toumai platform has completed around 300 remote operations, maintaining a flawless safety record.

The Toumai Robot exemplifies China’s rapid ascent as a pioneer in intelligent medical innovation. At the 2025 China Medical Equipment Exhibition in Chongqing in southwest China, AI-powered surgical systems, deep learning-enhanced diagnostic platforms, and cloud-connected robotic devices dominated the showcase.

“Toumai Robot focuses on minimally-invasive surgeries. It breaks through the limits of the hands of surgeons by filtering their physiologic tremor, which makes surgeries easier, safer, and less invasive,” said Liu to flows of visitors at the company’s exhibition booth.

Some medical equipment can help doctors make decisions. Longwood Valley MedTech, headquartered in Beijing, brought its ROPA orthopedic smart surgical robot with deep learning capabilities to the exhibition.

“This robot can be used in joint replacement and spinal operations as it utilizes AI to reconstruct three-dimensional images of patients’ joints with CT images, based on which doctors can simulate operations and make pre-operation plans,” said Chen Peng, vice president of Longwood Valley MedTech.

It usually takes one day for an engineer to make a three-dimensional image, compared to only one to three minutes by AI, Chen added.

Chen said the robot reduces operating time by about 30 percent on average. Less operating time means less anesthesia duration, exposure and possible complications.

The robot not only serves as a powerful “brain” but also as clever “hands.” During operations, sub-millimeter precision optical positioning ensures the precise execution of every critical step of the pre-operation plans. Stable robotic arms help doctors overcome traditional limitations such as hand tremors.

In 2024, China’s medical equipment market size surpassed 1.35 trillion yuan (about 188.2 billion U.S. dollars), according to data released during the exhibition.

Medical equipment is at the forefront of technological innovation, so efforts should be given to drive the digital and intelligent transformation of the medical equipment industry, said Xin Guobin, vice minister of industry and information technology, when addressing the event on Saturday.

“It is important to accelerate the deep integration of emerging technologies such as 5G and AI with medical equipment and develop innovative application scenarios, including intelligent diagnostic systems and remote medical consultation platforms,” Xin said. Global Times

In recent years, multiple new medical colleges have been established across the country, primarily in district headquarters. These colleges are being set up as part of a policy to ensure that each district has at least one medical college.

Many of these institutions are being developed by upgrading existing district or referral hospitals, a cost-effective approach that helps utilise existing infrastructure efficiently.

However, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has raised concerns about this approach, stating that the sanctioning of medical colleges should be based on population density rather than a district-wise allocation.

The Committee warned that the current policy creates an imbalance in the hospital-to-population ratio, leading to inequitable access to medical education and healthcare services.

The Committee further emphasised the need to make private medical education more affordable, recommending that capitation fees be regulated to ensure that meritorious students from financially weaker backgrounds can access medical education.

To address the shortage of doctors at Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs), the Committee suggested offering lucrative pay and benefits to specialist doctors to ensure their retention in government hospitals.

“Department may persuade the States/UTs to overcome the shortage of doctors at PHCs/CHCs through various measures including the creation of separate Medical Services Recruitment Boards, specialist cadres, and providing flexibilities under NHM for recruitment and retention,” said Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare presented in Rajya Sabha, on 12 March.

The Committee also stressed the importance of ensuring that Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) are adequately equipped, calling for the provision of sufficient staff, essential diagnostic services, and high-quality generic medicines to improve healthcare delivery at these centers.

Decrease the Ayushman Bharat age
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended a significant expansion of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY), urging the government to lower the eligibility age for senior citizens under the Ayushman Bharat PMJAY Vay Vandana scheme from 70 years to 60 years, regardless of their socio-economic status. The panel believes that this revision would ensure wider coverage and greater access to healthcare for the elderly, benefiting a larger segment of India’s aging population.

“The Committee is of the view that age criteria of 70 years and above for Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards should be rationalised to 60 years and above irrespective of their socio-economic status for widening the coverage of the scheme in the better interest of common masses,” reads the report.

In the recent expansion of AB-PMJAY to cover six crore senior citizens aged 70 and above from 4.5 crore families, ₹1,443 crore was allocated for their treatment under the Ayushman Vay Vandana Card scheme.

The Committee also said that keeping in view the high costs of critical healthcare, the Committee has strongly recommended that the existing health coverage of ₹5 lakh per family per year be doubled to ₹10 lakh per family. With rising medical expenses and the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases, the panel believes that the current financial protection is inadequate, particularly for families requiring specialised treatments and long-term medical care.

The Committee also noted that many expensive procedures, advanced diagnostics, and high-end interventions are not covered under AB-PMJAY, forcing patients to bear significant out-of-pocket expenses. It recommended a comprehensive review of the scheme to include:

• Critical illness treatments with high-cost interventions
• Advanced radiological diagnostics such as CT scans, MRIs, and Nuclear Imaging
• Other high-end medical procedures that are currently available only as add-on packages

The Committee emphasised that these essential medical services should be incorporated directly into the scheme, rather than leaving them as optional add-ons, which often limit accessibility for economically weaker patients.

GDP ratio in health
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare has criticised the government’s stagnant health expenditure, warning that the goal of increasing health spending to 2.5 percent of GDP under the National Health Policy (NHP) remains a distant dream. The Committee, which had previously recommended raising health expenditure to 5 percent of GDP by 2025, expressed disappointment over the slow pace of budget increases, stating that the lack of financial commitment is preventing the healthcare sector from achieving sustainable growth.

“India being the most populous country, and given the inflationary pressures and the National Health Policy’s target of increasing government health expenditure to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2025, the Committee believes that the allocation to the health sector, particularly to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, should have been much higher,” reads the report.

A detailed analysis of the health budget revealed a declining trend in allocation as a percentage of GDP between 2020-21 and 2024-25, which the panel believes is inconsistent with the targets set under the NHP. The Committee emphasised that adequate health financing is crucial for reducing Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) and ensuring equitable access to healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic further reinforced the urgent need for sustained investment in public health, particularly in preparing for future health crises.

Despite some progress in social security schemes and financial protection, the Committee noted that OOPE on healthcare remains high, dropping only from 48.8 percent in 2017-18 to 39.4 percent in 2021-22. While the panel expressed hope that current figures might be even lower, it stressed that a 39.4 percent OOPE remains a significant barrier to quality healthcare.

The report also referenced the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2024, which identifies India as home to 234 million poor people, the largest number of impoverished individuals in the world. Unlike other nations with high poverty levels, India is the only country in the top five with a medium Human Development Index (HDI). The Committee warned that without increased government health spending, a significant portion of the population will continue to struggle with access to affordable healthcare.

The Committee pointed out that Government Health Expenditure (GHE) as a percentage of GDP in India is just 1.84 percent, significantly lower than developed countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany. In comparison, high-income countries (HICs) allocate nearly 70 percent of their healthcare spending through public funding, ensuring greater financial protection for their citizens.

The panel urged the government to adopt best practices from these nations and take sustained efforts to increase GHE, which would further lower OOPE and improve access to essential medical services.

The Committee recommended that the government prioritise healthcare in budget allocations, ensuring sufficient resources for infrastructure, medical research, and service delivery. It also called for an annual budget increase for healthcare, maintaining momentum to strengthen India’s public health system. The South First