The separation is also considering removing recommendations for all simple secondary procedures in BBMP areas. | Photo Credit: File Photos
They realize that the existing online recommendation system (ORS) has a significantly complicated provision of services within the Ayushman Bharat Aogya Karnataka (AB-Tark) system, the state health department examines a proposal to release requirements for certain super-specialty procedures in the first phase.
In addition, the department is also considering removing recommendations for all simple secondary procedures in BBMP areas. This is because the current government hospital bed in Bengalur is not proportional to the population and the recommendation system causes the necessary patients to require serious problems.
The proposal was drawn up after a detailed review of the existing online recommendation system through visits and interactions with various parties, including healthcare service providers, recipients at private medical faculties and Empaneled private hospitals, as well as field staff from Suvarna Aogya Surraksha Trust (SAST).
The scheme (AB-tark) includes 1650 procedures-294 simple secondary, 251 complex secondary, 934 tertiary care procedures and 171 emergency procedures. While simple secondary procedures are completely dealt with at the level of the government hospital, for all other procedures, patients must pass the government hospital to a higher facility (including empaneous private hospitals) if the first is not equipped to treat the disease. The scheme offers cashless treatment up to 5 lakhs per year for the family. Approximately 3.42 Lakh patients were handed over online since June 2022, when the ORS were introduced in Karnataka until June 2025.
The policy of the recommendation, which has been introduced since the establishment of the system and was manually before June 2022, has undergone more changes. This program initially offered free services in government institutions and services based on packages in private hospital. Later, however, it was modified to include reimbursement packages for government hospitals for different procedures – 50% (secondary), 75% (tertiary) and 100% (heart) total packaging costs. Government institutions are currently receiving approximately 1,000 GBP Crore per year from a program in the form of compensation for claims.
Problems with the Recommendation System
Harsh Gupta, the main secretary (health and care of the family), told the Hindes that interaction with different parties revealed that the existing recommendation system has a significantly complicated provision of services within the system, especially for insufficiently privileged parts of society. “During emergencies, it adds another layer of complexity. Patients are forced to navigate in the process only to access services in institutions,” he said.
“The proposal is to relax the reference Requirements for Certain Procedures That Would Anyways have a Referered By and Government Hospital to and Private Empanelled Facility. Oncology, Surgical Oncology, and Radiation oncology Can Be Considered in the First Phase.
In reputable hospitals of the Faculty of Medicine
In addition, relaxation of recommendations for neonatal codes related to children born in hospitals without EMPPanel is also considered. This is likely to be allowed exclusively for medical faculties with appropriate infrastructure.
“On the pilot, we have released the requirements for recommendations for a subgroup of complex secondary and tertiary procedures in Satya Sai Memorial Hospital in Chikkabballapur District and BLDE Medical College Hospital in Vijayapore in the last six months.
Published – July 24, 2025 20:29
