Ahmedabad: Citing rising operational costs and low remuneration package rates, about 150 cardiologists running their hospitals across 15 districts in Gujarat have stopped admitting patients under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) scheme.
The Gujarat Interventional Cardiologists Forum (GICF) has submitted memorandums to chief district health officers (CDHOs) and collectors, highlighting their concerns about the current cardiology packages under the scheme.
On Wednesday, GICF members met senior officers of Gujarat State Branch of Indian Medical Association (GSB-IMA) to discuss the future course of action. IMA officials have asked the GICF to revise the draft proposal by removing a few demands and providing basis for a few others before submitting it to the state health department officials.
A member doctor from Ahmedabad told TOI that the protesting cardiologists include those from Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Kutch, Valsad and Patan.
“With inflation and operational costs far outstripping current remuneration packages, we urgently seek your esteemed intervention to safeguard this vital healthcare initiative for the people of Gujarat,” states GICF’s letter to IMA.
“Earlier, angioplasty procedure and stent were covered under a package of Rs 86,000. Today, the package cost has come down to Rs 62,000 but all the overhead costs are the same for treating doctors and medical facility. The new rules introduced in Jan mandate a setup having cardiac surgeon, cardiac anaesthetist and cardiac physiotherapist among others and that would cost more than Rs 10 lakh for any facility,” said a GICF member. “The impact has been severe in smaller towns such as Mehsana, where five of the seven such cardiac care hospitals have shut down, leaving patients with no option but travel to bigger urban centres such as Ahmedabad.”
GICF’s letter to authorities highlighted that it took 10 years for the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) package value, excluding stent, to be increased from Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,800. With annual inflation at 6.5%, costs have risen substantially, resulting in losses per procedure. Additionally, static coronary angiogram rates remain unchanged since 2015, the letter states.
Some other demands include compensation for high-risk emergency PCI, intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) coverage for critical procedures and addressing disparities between cardiothorasic and valve surgery (CTVS) and PCI procedures. The members claimed that they have not stopped taking patients under PM-JAY as of now.
However, city and state hospital associations have distanced themselves from these demands, saying they will continue to offer packages according to the existing guidelines. Gujarat revised certain procedures and packages in Dec 2024 and Jan 2025 following deaths of angioplasty patients admitted to Khyati Hospital under PM-JAY.
