Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government revealed in the state assembly on Monday that 55 hospitals have been suspended or blacklisted under the PM-JAY Ayushman Bharat scheme for non-compliance. This includes 32 hospitals shut down in 2023 and 23 in 2024 for violating regulations.
Key Details:
- 19 hospitals have since regained approval to resume operations after rectifying compliance issues.
- The blacklisting reasons include fire safety violations, biomedical waste mismanagement, and failure to adhere to scheme guidelines.
- Shri Jalaram Children’s Hospital (Aravalli district) was shut down on December 5, 2024, for non-compliance but was reopened within 25 days after fixing violations.
- 18 hospitals in 2023 were also reinstated after addressing regulatory concerns.
Government Accountability Measures:
In response to concerns about lax oversight, the Gujarat Health and Family Welfare Department has been reviewing underperforming officials over the past two years:
- In 2024 alone, 843 government officials were assessed.
- One Class-1 Public Health Officer and seven Class-1 Medical Officers were compulsorily retired.
- Three Head Clerks and one Senior Clerk (Class-3) were also forced to retire in 2024.
The government maintains that the crackdown on hospitals and officials reflects a commitment to improving healthcare quality and accountability under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.