More than 200 hospitals empanelled under Andhra Pradesh’s Dr. NTR Vaidya Seva scheme have been pulled up over the past two years for irregularities in providing health services, The Hindu reported on 11 October 2026, citing a Health Department release.
Quick Facts
| Hospitals fined | 203 |
| Total fines | ₹34.39 crore |
| Disciplinary action | Against 44 hospitals |
| Period | Past two years |
| Report submitted to | Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, by Trust CEO Dr. Padmavathi |
The Action Taken
Disciplinary action against 44 hospitals includes:
- 25 suspensions
- 13 stoppages of payment
- 5 removals from the network
- 1 cancellation of recognition
What Hospitals Were Accused Of
Some hospitals charged for treatments that should be free for beneficiaries under the scheme. Other complaints included denying cashless treatment to eligible patients, delaying treatment, not following prescribed medical protocols and neglecting patient care. The Trust investigated the complaints before acting.
How Irregularities Are Detected
Officials analyse hospital bills and pre-authorisation requests for unusual patterns, excessive use of treatment packages and suspicious transactions. That also helps detect duplicate billing, alteration of medical records and misuse of the scheme.
The Trust is using artificial intelligence-based systems to speed up bill verification, make audits uniform and clear pending bills. Bills flagged by AI are not treated as fraudulent automatically: a final decision on disciplinary action is taken only after district and state officers investigate, examine medical records and find sufficient evidence.
Featured image: King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam, November 2022 (file photo; not one of the hospitals penalised). Photo by డా. గన్నవరపు నరసింహమూర్తి, licensed under CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.