The Health Ministry on Wednesday announced that it has revised the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) package rates for all CGHS beneficiaries and simplified the referral process under CGHS for the benefit of its employees by offering a video call facility.
There’s not been a revision in the rates since 2014.
A senior Health Ministry official said that the increase in rates associated with the CGHS follows the demand for it from various stakeholders. The decision will increase the burden on the Central government’s exchequer from between ₹240 crore to ₹300 crore.
The Central government has increased the CGHS rates of consultation fee for out-patient department (OPD)/in-patient department (IPD) to ₹350 from ₹150. Similarly, ICU charges have been revised to ₹5,400 (₹862 plus ₹4,500 for private wards, rounded to ₹5,400), including accommodation for all ward entitlements.
The government has also made the referral process easy. Earlier, the beneficiary had to go to the CGHS wellness centre by herself to get the referral for the hospital. Now, if the beneficiary is unable to go to the CGHS wellness centre, he or she can send someone in their place to get the referral. A medical officer will go through the document before allowing the hospital referral.
Moreover, the government has allowed the video call option for referral to ease the process conveniently, especially at times when these options are easily at the disposal of the masses.
According to government data, there are over 44 lakh beneficiaries in the CGHS, with the Centre having over 338 allopathic and 103 Ayush systems across the country.
