CGHS wellness centre to come up in Tirupati soon

Tirupati : To facilitate healthcare services for Central government employees and their family members in the Rayalaseema region, a new Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) wellness centre will be established in Tirupati very soon. This new facility is aimed at providing top-notch medical care to both serving and retired Central government employees, providing them with essential medical and referral services.

The initiative comes after persistent efforts by Tirupati MP Dr M Gurumoorthy, who has been advocating for the establishment of a CGHS wellness centre in Tirupati to fill a critical gap in the Rayalaseema region.

Currently, there are five CGHS wellness centres in Andhra Pradesh, but none in Rayalaseema, forcing beneficiaries to travel over 200 kilometre to the nearest centre in Nellore. This distance has been particularly challenging during health emergencies, causing undue physical strain on the employees and their families.

The proposal for the new centre received favourable consideration from the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, who has sanctioned the establishment of the facility in Tirupati. A team of central government officials recently visited the city to inspect various buildings as potential locations for the wellness centre.

MP Gurumoorthy told The Hans India that the centre would soon become operational in the city. He also met with Roli Singh, the Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in New Delhi on Friday to request the appointment of an additional director for CGHS in Andhra Pradesh. Currently, beneficiaries are often required to travel to Telangana for various permissions and approvals, a situation the MP hopes to alleviate by proposing the establishment of the state office of the Additional Director of CGHS in Tirupati itself.

The CGHS, a contributory health scheme, was started in 1954 in Delhi and has since expanded its scope and coverage across India. Today, it serves over 15 lakh primary cardholders and more than 43 lakh beneficiaries through a vast network of wellness centres, polyclinics and labs.

In AP, there are over 24000 CGHS cardholders and more than 57000 beneficiaries, with numbers expected to increase. In Tirupati, over 13000 beneficiaries including pensioners are there who can utilise the services of wellness centre.

The scheme provides comprehensive outpatient department (OPD) facilities, medicines and referrals to government hospitals and specialists at empanelled hospitals. Beneficiaries can seek specialist consultations at private hospitals after a referral from a CGHS wellness centre, ensuring they receive the best possible care. It will be of immense use to the elderly pensioners who are facing geriatric issues and require regular medical check-ups.

The establishment of the CGHS wellness centre in Tirupati marks a significant step forward in improving healthcare access for central government employees in the Rayalaseema region.