New Delhi, Aug 24 (IANS) A new dialysis facility for Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) patients will be opened here by Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad Wednesday, a statement said.

The facility will be a pilot project initiated in a public-private partnership.

According to the statement, the facility at Sadiq Nagar area in the national capital will be a pilot project, partnering the Health Ministry, Alliance Medicorp (India) Limited and a joint venture with the company of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Ltd.

For the first time, the CGHS will have an in-house dialysis unit. The facility will be managed by a team of medical and paramedical staff and they will have eight dialysis machines which will be capable of handling more than 6,500 cases a year.

According to CGHS reports, in Delhi alone 'as many as 400 patients who need dialysis are sent away to various private and government hospitals for treatment'.