No plans to open hospitals under CGHS : Minister

New Delhi, Feb 27 (UNI) Minister of state for Health Panabaka Lakshmi today denied that CGHS has removed several big private hospitals from its approved list, and said only those hospitals which accepted CGHS rates and terms of agreement have been empanelled.

''Empanelment is a continuous process and any private hospital located in CGHS cities can get empanelled with CGHS,'' she said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.

She also said that there are no plans to open own hospitals under the Scheme as yet.

Replying to another query, she said on a pilot basis, Hindlab, a subsidiary of Hindustan Latex Limited has set up a dagonistic laboratory in partnership with CGHS in South Delhi. ''The laboratory is expected to be self sustaining,'' she said.

On mental hospitals, the Minister said there are about 40 government Mental hospitals in the country, maximum of six in West Bengal, four each in Maharashtra and Gujarat, three each in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh, and two each in Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh.

Assam, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have one such hospital each. There are about 2219 psychiatrists in the country, she said.

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