New healthcare facility for pensioners

New Delhi: The Central government has taken an effective step towards providing healthcare to the pensioners. There are many pensioners who are not currently covered under the CGHS facility or live in a place where there is no CGHS facility. Such pensioners will get fixed medical allowance from now.

This limit will be a maximum of Rs 1,000 per month. The Central government has also given an option to these pensioners to get treatment in the nearby city where CGHS facility is available. For this, the pensioner will have to register himself. There are about 65 lakh pensioners in the central government.

One of the options the government has given to pensioners is that they can get fixed medical allowance at the rate of five hundred rupees per month. These rates are revised. At present, this rate is one thousand rupees. If pensioners wish that they are willing to undergo treatment in a nearby city with CGHS, then they can avail OPD or IPD. 

He will get fixed medical allowance for treatment in OPD. IPD treatment will be provided only after depositing the fixed contribution to CGHS. If they want to fully avail the facility of CGHS, they will have to pay the fixed contribution amount for one year or ten years.

After this they will get life time validity of CGHS card. If non CGHS pensioners want to pay for their treatment, they will have to register at the nearest CGHS center. For this, they can choose any of the above options. If they do not do so, their bills will not be paid by the department.