Medical facilities for central government employees

Apart from stable career and excellent pay packages, the different types of perks offered to the employees make central government jobs a huge hit among the aspirants. When it comes to medical care, the central government employees are provided comprehensive medical health care facilities under the “Central Government Health Scheme” (CGHS). Apart from active central government employees, pensioners and their dependents are also entitled to medical healthcare serviced under the CGHS schemes.

What is Central Government Health Scheme?

The CGHS was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in the year 1954, as an exclusive health care scheme to offer medical facilities to the central government employees paid from the civil estimates. Initially, the scheme was limited to Delhi, but was later on expanded to cover the following cities:

• Shillong
• Ahmedabad
• Ghaziabad
• Meerut
• Allahabad
• Gurgaon
• Mumbai
• Bangalore
• Guwahati
• Nagpur
• Bhubaneshwar
• Hyderabad
• Noida
• Kolkata
• Jaipur
• Patna
• Chennai
• Jabalpur
• Pune
• Kanpur
• Ranchi
• Delhi/New Delhi
• Faridabad
• Lucknow
• Thiruvananthapuram
• Guwahati

Apart from central government employees, the scheme also covers pensioners and their dependents residing in CGHS covered cities. For central government employees who reside outside the CGHS jurisdiction, the treatment shall be admissible under Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules.

Which employees are covered under CGHS?

• The Central Government Health Scheme is applicable to the following categories of people residing in the areas covered under the scheme:
• All Central Government Employees paid from Civil Estimates (except officers in Railways and Delhi Administration with exception of Delhi Police Officers)
• Pensioners and their family members (drawing pension from Civil Estimates)
• Members of Parliament (including ex-members)
• Sitting and retired judges of Supreme Court and High Courts
• Freedom Fighters
• Accredited Journalists
• Ex-Governors of states & Ex-Vice Presidents of India

What medical facilities are provided under CGHS?

Medical healthcare facilities are provided to government employees through wellness centres (previously known as CGHS dispensaries) of different types. Currently, the government has set up following medical facilities to offer health care services to central government employees and other individuals entitled under the CGHS.

• Allopathic dispensaries: 273
• Polyclinics: 19
• Ayush dispensary/units: 85
• Yoga Centres: 3
• Laboratories: 73
• Dental Units: 17

Coverage of Dependents

The CGHS also covers the dependents of central government employees that are part of his/her family. Dependents qualifying the following guidelines are covered under CGHS:

• Husband / Wife: Legally wedded husband of wife (including more than one wife and judicially separated wife)
• Parents / Parents-in-law / Stepmothers: Parents of the employees are also covered under this scheme. In the case of adoptive parents, only adopting parents are covered and not the biological ones. In case the adoptive father has more than one wife, only the first wife is covered under this scheme. Female employees have the choice of either including own biological parents or her parents-in-law in the scheme.
• Children: Children of central government employees of all types (including step-children and wards taken as children). Sons are covered until they start earning; daughters until they start earning / gets married.
• Others: Other relatives like minor brothers/dependent brothers, minor sisters/dependent sisters, widowed daughters, dependent/divorced daughters

All the dependents mentioned above need to be residing with the central government employees with their income from all sources not exceeding Rs 1500/- per month; in order to be eligible for the scheme.

Medical Advances / Medical Reimbursement

The Central Government employees are also entitled to medical advances or medical reimbursements in case of emergency medical treatment and care.

• The respective department head has the power to grant medical advance/reimbursement up to Rs 2 Lakh for serving employees.
• For pensioners, the concerned head of CGHS covered city holds the discretionary powers for the same.
• For claims exceeding Rs 2 Lakhs, the respective ministry or department will be the final authority in consultation with the financial division.