Kolkata: Within one and a half months of Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY (ABPMJAY) roll-out in Bengal, pacemaker surgery under the health scheme has hit a roadblock, with most private hospitals asking for a revised rate for the device.
Sources said that under this central health ministry scheme the cost of a pacemaker is capped at rupees 75,000 along with 33,000 rupees for the procedure. The device package allowed under this scheme to private hospitals was 1.65 lakh rupees along with a procedure rate of 30,000. Sources said that the pacemaker implant cost under Ayushman Bharat has remained the same at 75,000 rupees since the inception of the health scheme in 2028 when 1 USD equalled to around 60 INR. But despite the depreciation of rupee value which has now above 90 rupees against 1 USD, the rate allowed for the pace maker device under the health scheme has remained the same. Sources said in an appeal signed by close to 50 cardiologists from across various private hospitals detailed why there was the need to raise the device rate.
Therefore the option before us is to either compromise with the device quality or refuse to conduct the procedure under this scheme,” said a cardiologist. We should not be compromising with the quality of the device,” said Hazra who recently launched Sanatani Swasthya Sena, an organisation by healthcare providers.
Despite raising issue of low package rates under Swasthya Sathi cardiac pacemaker implant procedures were being conducted by regularly by several doctors in private hospitals as they said the device cost under the Swasthya Sathi allowed them to use quality implants. This rate is way behind what was offered by Swasthya Sathi which is being phased out gradually. “The Swasthya Sathi package allowed us to use the imported pacemaker which is of standard quality. Now no vendor is willing to supply the pacemaker in the cost offered under Ayushman Bharat. Most of the pacemakers used in India are imported either from Europe or America. The package rates of AB are decided by health ministry. “Cardiac pacemaker is a life saving device and hence we must ensure that it is of standard quality, giving the maximum benefit without safety concerns. A group of cardiologists writes to state health department and the health ministry to revise the pacemaker device rate offered under Ayushman Bharat.