Reports on CGHS beneficiaries 'misleading': Health ministry

The Health Ministry today termed as "misleading" reports that private hospitals on the panel of CGHS are denying credit facilities to eligible beneficiaries for delay in settlement of hospitals bills.
Measures have also been taken to streamline the payment related issues in the ensuing empanelment process, it said.
"The CGHS beneficiaries are advised not to be guided by such misleading information. Delay in payments in the last quarter of the financial year due to budgetary constraints is not a new phenomenon and hospitals are aware of it. We have taken special steps and the pendency is likely to be cleared within a week," it said in a statement.

"Lower package rates and inadmissible deductions have also been reported to be the other reasons for withdrawal of agreed cashless and credit facilities," it said, rejecting such reports.
The ministry will ensure that the CGHS empanelled private hospitals continue to extend cashless and credit facilities to the eligible beneficiaries in compliance with the terms and conditions as laid down in the Memorandum of Agreement signed by them with CGHS, it said.
According to information received by the ministry, most of the private hospitals are continuing to extend the cashless facilities to the CGHS beneficiaries, it added.
"CGHS has already invited bids for revision of package rates through a transparent tender process... Measures have also been taken to streamline the payment related issues in the ensuing empanelment process," the statement said.