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GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH ANDFAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2148
TOBE ANSWERED ON 31STJULY, 2026
DE-EMPANELMENTOFPM-JAYHOSPITALIN KERALA
2148. DR. SHASHITHAROOR:
Will the Minister of HEALTHAND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleased tostate:
(a) the details of reasons for the voluntary de-empanelment of hospitals under the
AB-PMJAY in Kerala during the last three years, including the number of hospitals
de-empanelled on account of administrative, financial, operational or other reasons,
category-wise;
(b) whether the Union Government has undertaken any assessment of the impact of such
de-empanelment on the availability of cashless treatment under the AB-PMJAY in Kerala,
particularlyindistricts where the numberof empanelledhospitals hasdeclined; and
(c) the measures taken/proposed to be taken by the Union Government to improve the
retention of private hospitals under the AB-PMJAY in Kerala including measures relating to
claimsettlement, packageratesandadministrative processes?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATEIN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND
FAMILYWELFARE
(SHRIPRATAPRAOJADHAV)
(a) to (c): Under, Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY)
hospital empanelment is a continuous process and is undertaken based on the requirements
and availability of healthcare providers meeting the criteria within a given State/UT as per
empanelment guidelines of National Health Authority (NHA). The empanelment of private
hospitals under the scheme is entirely voluntary. As on 30.06.2026, a total of 545 hospitals,
comprising 363 private and 182 public hospitals, are empanelled under AB-PMJAY in the
Stateof Kerala.
During the last three years (April 2023 to March 2026), a total of 240 hospitals were
de-empanelled from the scheme in the State of Kerala. Of these, 174 hospitals were
temporarily empanelled during the COVID-19 pandemic and were subsequently
de-empanelled after discontinuing their services following the pandemic. The remaining 66
hospitals were de-empanelled due toadministrative,operational,or otherreasons.
NHA, in coordination with the State Health Agency (SHA), Kerala, has undertaken various
measures to increase the number of empanelled hospitals under the scheme. These measuresinclude regular review meetings to identify gaps in hospital empanelment, targeted
engagement with private healthcare providers and hospital associations, and outreach to
encourage empanelment of eligible hospitals, particularly inremote andunderserved areas. In
addition to expanding the empanelled hospital network, NHA regularly analyses the
utilisation pattern of the scheme in the State to assess the availability and accessibility of
healthcareservices.
As on 30.06.2026, a total of 81.90 lakh hospital admissions have been authorised under
AB-PMJAY in Kerala, of which approximately 37% have been availed treatment in private
empanelledhospitals.
Under AB-PMJAY, settlement of claims is a regular process and claims are settled by
respective SHAasper claimadjudication guidelinesissued by NHA. Fortimely settlement of
claims, the permissible turnaround time is within 15 days of claim submission for intra-state
hospitals (hospitals located within the State) and within 30 days of claim submission in case
of portabilityclaims (hospitals locatedoutside the State).
NHA conducts regular review meetings with the State Health Agency, Kerala, to review
hospital empanelment, claims processing, fund utilisation, and other operational and
administrative issues toensure the effectiveimplementation of AB-PMJAY.
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