Seventeen hospitals across Chhattisgarh have been placed under scrutiny after the National Health Authority (NHA) classified them as “very high risk” under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, prompting state-level inspections and the collection of treatment and claim records for verification.
The inspections were carried out on Wednesday across nine districts. Seven of the hospitals are in Raipur, three in Bilaspur, two in Durg and one each in Bastar, Kabirdham, Kondagaon, Korba and Surguja, according to state health authorities.
Officials clarified that the “very high risk” classification is a monitoring flag and does not by itself establish wrongdoing. The records collected from the hospitals will be examined to determine whether treatment provided to beneficiaries and claims submitted under the scheme complied with prescribed procedures.
The scrutiny covers documents related to treatment provided to Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries and the processing of claims. The state health department said the inspection teams gathered the records required for detailed examination, but did not disclose the specific concerns that led to the NHA classification.
The action comes days after two hospitals in Raipur were removed from the Ayushman Bharat network. The two de-empanelments took place on September 28 and 29 following recommendations from state-level investigation teams. The health department has not disclosed the specific irregularities identified in those cases.
De-empanelment means that a hospital can no longer provide cashless treatment under the scheme or submit claims through its network, although the report does not specify the operational details of the two Raipur hospitals’ removal. Any further action against the 17 hospitals will depend on the outcome of document verification and investigation.
The inspections are part of stepped-up monitoring of treatment and claim processing at hospitals empanelled under the scheme. State health authorities said the monitoring exercise was being conducted on the directions of health minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal.
The scrutiny places the focus on how a publicly funded healthcare scheme is administered at the hospital level. For beneficiaries, the immediate issue is whether listed hospitals remain eligible to provide treatment through Ayushman Bharat while the verification process continues. The state department has not indicated that the 17 hospitals have been removed from the scheme.
Officials said the collected records would be examined before any decision is taken. The findings of that verification will determine whether additional action is required against any of the hospitals.