Good news for over 1 crore central government employees and pensioners covered under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). Many big changes are going to be made in CGHS soon, which will not only improve the facility but new wellness centers can also be opened.
Among other CGHS issues, the shortage of staff, ensuring availability of medicines and connecting private hospitals for subsidised treatment are in focus to improve services for retirees.
These things came to the fore in the recently held 34th SCOVA (Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies) meeting, which was chaired by Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
In this meeting, pensioners associations from all over the country put forward their demands and suggestions, in which the main issue was about the current status of CGHS and the need for improvement in it.
What changes can be made in CGHS?
Demand for new wellness centers: There has been a demand to open new CGHS wellness centers in cities like Pune, Bengaluru, Balasore, Nagpur, Chennai, Puducherry and Jammu.
New polyclinic in Jammu: A plan is being considered to open a modern polyclinic in Jammu which will also have the facility of a testing lab.
Huge staff shortage will be overcome soon: It was informed in the meeting that the recruitment process is being started through SSC (Staff Selection Commission) to overcome the huge shortage of staff in wellness centers.
Uninterrupted supply of medicines: To ensure continuous availability of essential life-saving medicines, now work will be done towards maintaining stock not only on demand but also on the basis of old experiences and trends.
Consideration of including private hospitals in the panel: A proposal to include private hospitals in the panel under CGHS is also under consideration to provide relief to pensioners where there are no wellness centers.
Infrastructure of old wellness centers will improve: Buildings and facilities of existing CGHS centers in cities like Bengaluru, Nagpur and Chennai will be upgraded.
Anger over delay in refund: Pensioners also expressed concern over the delay in medical reimbursement claims, on which the ministry assured improvement in the timeline.
Why is this CGHS reform necessary?
CGHS is an important health scheme for Government of India employees, pensioners and their families. But in recent years, problems like shortage of staff, disruption in medicine supply and delay in reimbursement have troubled millions of people.
Pensioners’ organizations from across the country expressed concern over the current state of CGHS and suggested that as the number of elderly people is increasing, making CGHS more efficient is the need of the hour.
What do experts say?
Senior pension experts believe that “increasing the scope of CGHS and bringing transparency in its functioning should be the priority of the government. Especially in small towns where facilities are limited, connecting private hospitals under CGHS can prove to be a big relief step.”
What is SCOVA?
SCOVA i.e. Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies is an advisory forum that was formed in 1986 to convey the problems of pensioners directly to the government. Representatives of pensioners’ organizations and various ministries from across the country participate in it. What will happen next? Now all eyes are on how long the ministry implements these decisions.
If work is done quickly on issues like expansion of wellness centers, recruitment of staff and supply of medicines, then lakhs of people associated with CGHS can get a big relief.
In short: The changes coming in CGHS are bringing new hopes for pensioners. If these plans are implemented on time, health care can become faster, more accessible, and more reliable — exactly what we need today.