AP clears Rs 501 crore dues to private hospitals

Vijayawada: The state govt on Friday released Rs 501 crore to private hospitals empanelled under the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust towards outstanding bills owed to them in the state. To address the remaining dues, the govt approved the disbursement of Rs 1,000 crore through the tri-party bill discounting agreement (TBDA) mechanism.Under this arrangement, agreements were executed among the Andhra Pradesh Power Finance Corporation, the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust, and the participating hospital managements.According to Dr NTR Vaidya Seva Trust in-charge CEO KVN Chakradhar Babu, a total of 278 hospitals have received payments amounting to Rs 501 crore so far. Out of 873 eligible hospitals, 531 applied to avail dues through the bill discounting mechanism. Scrutiny was completed for 336 applications, with further processing underway.The CEO emphasised that the payments are being released in line with the govt's commitment to clear pending dues, providing financial relief to hospitals and strengthening healthcare delivery across the state.