Looming healthcare crisis as private hospitals halt dialysis services

Srinagar, Mar 27: Patients suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in J&K are back to square one as routine dialysis services under AB PMJAY and SEHAT Scheme stand snapped at private hospitals and the skimpy facilities in public hospitals have little to promise. The State Health Agency (SHA) has directed public hospitals to increase dialysis shifts to address the crisis.

In an order issued on 25 March 2025 by SHA has directed public hospitals to take immediate measures for increasing the shifts for dialysis patients. “It has come to the notice of SHA that private hospitals are denying dialysis treatment to patients enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) and SEHAT scheme. This has led to an increased burden on public hospitals and has adversely affected patients' access to essential life-saving treatment,” reads the order.

Government hospitals equipped with dialysis units have been instructed to extend their daily operations and introduce multiple shifts, including night shifts where feasible, to maximize the use of existing machines.  In addition, the hospital administrators have been directed to ensure adequate manpower, including nephrologist, dialysis technicians, and support staff to cater to the increased workload brought in by private hospitals wriggling out of the insurance-covered dialysis.

The hospitals have also been directed to ensure adequate supply of consumables and medications to ensure hassle-free dialysis for masses who can ill-afford paying for maintenance dialysis. A scheduling system and priority to emergency and critical patients has also been urged by SHA. The hospitals have been directed to ensure that the public is made aware of the increased dialysis facilities to decrease the out-of-pocket expenses of patients with CKD.

SHA is responsible for implementing the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), which aims to provide affordable and accessible dialysis services.

However, for patients with CKD, the crisis is far from over. With the availability of dialysis services under PMJAY and SEHAT Schemes in the private sector, the patients in J&K could avail regular dialysis with adequate duration of the procedure. Many patients fear that the long queues at public hospitals and increased burden on the set-up will result in a ‘serious compromise’ of their lives. “We are again in the position we were before the dialysis services were made available under insurance cover,” a CKD patient from Srinagar told Greater Kashmir. He said that thousands of patients have been left in lurch with the private hospitals denying dialysis services, and owing to the inadequacy in the public healthcare system.

The empanelled private hospitals have stopped providing dialysis services to patients due to SHA decreasing the package rates. A private hospital administrator told Greater Kashmir that rates were reduced from Rs 1450 to Rs 1330, and further to Rs 1000, which makes it economically non-viable for private hospitals. He said the services had stopped since 14 March this year, when SHA announced major changes in the terms of reference for private healthcare providers.