Maharashtra Well being Minister Prakash Avitkar on Monday (March 16, 2026) warned of “strict motion”, together with FIRs, towards hospitals discovered charging beneficiaries of the state-run cashless healthcare scheme, claiming that sufferers mustn’t need to pay “even a single rupee” for remedy.
The minister knowledgeable the state meeting that the federal government had investigated round 368 complaints about hospitals charging charges to sufferers lined by the well being care scheme and had thus far recovered a advantageous of Rs 6 million.
He stated there have been a number of complaints of hospitals allegedly demanding further cash from sufferers despite the fact that the remedy was lined beneath Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Scheme and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Scheme.
“Underneath these schemes, remedy is meant to be fully free and cashless. If hospitals cost cash from sufferers, strict motion might be taken,” he warned, noting that 12 hospitals have already been discovered to be violating the rules and have been excluded from the scheme.
Avitkar stated the scope of remedy has expanded with the combination of the state authorities’s scheme and the Centre’s Ayushman Bharat programme.
Earlier, about 1,356 ailments had been lined, however now the quantity has elevated to about 2,300 and the package deal value of remedy has additionally been elevated, he stated, including that every one residents lined beneath these cashless schemes will get remedy as much as Rs 500,000.
The minister additional stated that to extend transparency and curb fraud, the federal government is utilizing synthetic intelligence-based surveillance to trace complaints and detect suspicious actions by licensed hospitals.
He knowledgeable the Home that district-level committees headed by the Guardian Minister and comprising MLAs and officers have been constituted to observe the implementation and functioning of the scheme each three months.
Avitkar additionally referred to as on MPs to actively monitor hospitals of their constituencies and report any violations.
“If we obtain even one criticism, quick motion might be taken,” he stated, including that the federal government could register first info studies (FIRs) towards hospitals that repeatedly violate guidelines.
The minister reiterated that the well being system goals to make sure that the poor and most of the people have entry to high quality remedy, and that the federal government won’t tolerate exploitation of beneficiaries.
