PATNA, Feb. 28 -- Bihar health minister Mangal Pandey on Friday said the state government cannot compel Jai Prabha Medanta Super Specialty Hospital (JPMSSH) or any other private hospital to get fully empanelled under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) to treat beneficiaries at pre-approved package rates. The issue was raised in the Bihar Legislative Council by JD(U) MLC Sanjay Singh who moved a call attention motion, expressing concern that Ayushman Bharat services at the Patna-based super specialty hospital were limited to only radiation oncology and cardio thoracic vascular surgery (CTVS). He questioned why services were restricted despite the state having allotted land to the hospital at a token amount of Rs.1. Replying to the motion, Pandey said one-fourth of the hospital's existing 400 beds were reserved for poor patients referred through government medical college hospitals and 10 district sadar hospitals in places without medical colleges. Such referred patients, he said, do not have to pay any charges. Joining the discussion, JD(U) MLC Neeraj Kumar alleged that the hospital was not treating beneficiaries under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and the Chief Minister's Medical Relief Fund at applicable government rates. He urged Council chairperson Awadhesh Narain Singh to have the matter investigated and sought to make treatment under PM-JAY and the CM's medical relief scheme binding on the hospital. Pandey clarified that not all illnesses were covered under Ayushman Bharat at Medanta as it functioned as a super specialty hospital. He reiterated that Ayushman Bharat provisions applied only to empanelled hospitals and that the government could not "pressurise any private hospital" to expand coverage beyond agreed terms. At one point, Sanjay Singh asked whether the hospital had been opened to treat patients for only two diseases. The minister maintained that the land had been given on lease and that, in return, the hospital had committed to reserving 25% of its beds for government-referred patients. Pandey informed the House that 435 government facilities and 749 private centres in Bihar were currently empanelled under the flagship scheme, which provides up to Rs.5 lakh annual health cover per eligible family under the National Food Security Act. Around 1,800 diseases are covered under the scheme. Medanta, which signed a contract with the Bihar government in 2015, was empanelled under Ayushman Bharat in October 2025 for radiation oncology and CTVS. Since the scheme became operational at the hospital, 46 patients have been treated under AB-PMJAY at a cost of Rs.71 lakh. Talking to this reporter, JPMSSH medical director Dr Ravi Shankar Singh said the hospital was complying with all contractual obligations. "We treat patients under Ayushman Bharat for two specialities - radiation oncology and CTVS, "he said....