on Tuesday . `` Moving to a more comprehensive primary care delivery model could challenge VA clinicians , who may have dealt predominantly with male veterans and sometimes have little or no exposure to female patients , '' said Patricia Hayes of the department 's Women 's Veterans Health Strategic Healthcare Group . Only one-third of veterans ' facilities offer a separate space for women to receive gynecological , mental health and social work services , according to Hayes . There is a goal to have a gynecologist available at every facility by 2012 , she said . And Dennis Cullinan , national legislative director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars , noted that Veterans Affairs has contracted out to provide female veterans care in the facilities where there are not in-house providers . He said the department is fighting an aging infrastructure that is making it tougher to improve facilities . `` The facilities to provide the level of care and privacy just are n't there , '' he said . `` The VA is pursuing this . They are absolutely not dodging it . '' There are more than 1.8 million female veterans in the United States ,
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Department of Veterans Affairs medical facilities do not consistently offer the level of services and infrastructure necessary to properly treat the growing number of female veterans , a government investigation concludes . One official says the VA can offer women better medical care than they would get in private practice . The report by the Government Accountability Office found wide variation in the medical centers ' facilities and programs for female veterans . Investigators visited 18 veterans ' facilities and found that basic services , like pelvic examinations , were being provided and that patients had access to female providers for gender-specific care . But the facilities were lacking in some simpler accommodations , such as the configuration of exam rooms and privacy in check-in areas . The department says it is taking comprehensive steps to improve , including programs for primary care and mental health care for female veterans , along with having a female veterans ' program manager in each of its medical facilities . But Veterans Affairs faces hurdles in its efforts to improve its services and facilities , the department 's chief consultant for women 's medical care testified before Congress