Vijayawada: The Aarogyasri private network hospitals, under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Speciality Hospitals Association (ASHA), have called off their strike following the state government’s assurance on Friday to release another Rs 250 crore in dues on Nov 15. The government also promised to clear all pending payments to network hospitals under the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust scheme through a One-Time Settlement (OTS) by the end of Nov.“Recognising the government’s positive assurances and active engagement, ASHA is pleased to announce the immediate resumption of all services under the NTR Vaidya Seva Scheme,” a press statement issued by ASHA on Friday read.Health minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav has agreed to release Rs 250 crore by Nov 15, approved a One-Time Settlement (OTS) mechanism to clear all pending dues, and announced the formation of a joint committee with ASHA representatives to plan and implement the proposed Universal Health Scheme (UHC) in Andhra Pradesh, ASHA stated.On Friday, the health minister chaired a meeting with ASHA representatives to discuss the issues related to the pending dues to Aarogyasri network hospitals. During the meeting, he assured that the government would resolve all issues at the earliest, leading ASHA to call off their strike and resume Aarogyasri services.On the occasion, the ealth Minister noted that the government has paid Rs 4,143 crore towards the Aarogyasri scheme since coming to power, including Rs 2,403.92 crore in dues left pending by the previous YSRCP government. “Our government has paid Rs 1,739.28 crore so far for Aarogyasri services under the Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust scheme since the NDA-led government assumed office. Additionally, Rs 2,500 crore worth of pending dues will soon be paid to network hospitals,” Satya Kumar Yadav stated.
