New Delhi, May 20
Cashless treatment facilities will now be available to all serving and retired CGHS beneficiaries at AIIMS Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Jodhpur, Raipur and Rishikesh.
Cashless treatment will be available in OPD, investigations and indoor treatment at these six AIIMS, after the AIIMS managements on Saturday signed memoranda of understanding with the Central Government Health Services.
Cashless treatment to CGHS beneficiaries at AIIMS New Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh and JIPMER Puducherry is also in the offing.
This MoUs were signed in the presence of Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.
He said the six AIIMS in question are fully functional and have been in operation for over 10 years offering specialty and super-specialty services which would particularly benefit the senior citizens (retired pensioner beneficiaries of CGHS) who find it difficult to submit individual reimbursement claims and follow-up approvals.
The CGHS beneficiaries will now have the advantage of accessing state-of-the-art treatment facilities available in these AIIMS, without the hassle of first making payments and then seeking reimbursements from CGHS. This initiative will save time, reduce paperwork and also delays in settlement of individual claims. Till now, CGHS pensioner beneficiaries, availing treatment at AIIMS, are required to first make payment and claim reimbursement later from CGHS.
The Health Secretary lauded the development saying, “CGHS is a significant service-oriented vertical of the Health Ministry through which existing and retired employees can avail medical services. He said, “The government endeavours to expand the number of hospitals empanelled under CGHS providing excellent tertiary care facilities aligned with the rising requirements of the patients.”
He said, “In the near future, the AIIMS institutions established in New Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, will be incorporated in this agreement.”
Salient features of the initiative
The CGHS Pensioners and other entitled categories of CGHS beneficiaries will be eligible for cashless treatment in OPD, investigations and indoor treatment at these 6 AIIMS.
These 6 AIIMS shall raise credit bills of CGHS pensioners and other categories of eligible beneficiaries to CGHS and CGHS shall preferably make payment within 30 days of receipt of the bills.
Admission of the CGHS beneficiary shall be made only against production of valid CGHS Beneficiary ID card for the treatment at AIIMS.
AIIMS shall create a separate help desk and a separate accounting system for CGHS beneficiaries.
Medicines prescribed by the doctors at AIIMS, for OPD treatment or at the time of discharge from AIIMS, will be collected by the beneficiaries through CGHS.