Request to retain the empaneled hospitals under CGHS - All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association
All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association
(Registered No: 83/2015 under Tamilnadu Societies Registration Act, 1975)
Chennai HQ: 2/44, Muthial Chetty Street, Purasawalkam, Chennai - 600007
New Delhi HQ: First Floor, North Avenue Post Office Building, North Avenue, New Delhi - 110001
No.AIPRPA / CGHS Empanelled Hospitals / 2021 Dated 17.10.2021
To
Dr.Mansukh Mandaviya
The Union Health Minister
Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,
Room:348; ‘A’ Wing; Nirman Bhawan,
New Delhi – 110011
Sir,
Sub: Wriggling out of empanelled list of CGHS by many private hospitals and denial of cashless treatment to many beneficiaries – regarding.
This All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association is shocked to see that many hospitals in the empanelled list of CGHS are denying cashless medical treatment to our beneficiaries in their hospitals and many more hospitals are opting out of the empanelled list by indirectly citing the low CGHS tariff fixed as far back as in 2014 and the dues to be settled by CGHS to the hospitals.
The Government had time and again stressed the need of admitting the CGHS Pensioner Beneficiaries on cashless basis in the hospital for treatment by the empanelled hospitals. But many instances of denial of cashless treatment as well as denial to treatment itself in the name of lack of beds etc., are reported across the country while the availability of beds is still there on the contrary. This Association itself had registered a complaint earlier when a renowned private hospital in Chennai had collected cash from a pensioner to entertain treatment.
This Association also heard that orally some of these empanelled hospitals refuse treatment on the plea that that claims made by them towards treatment of CGHS patients were not reimbursed in time by the CGHS; the hospital treatment tariff fixed by CGHS is falling much short of the current rates of treatment and the CGHS is refusing to revise the tariff fixed long back in 2014; and that rendering the services to the CGHS beneficiaries are not financially viable to the hospitals anymore. We also heard that many hospitals have either withdrawn themselves from the list of empanelment or are threatening to withdraw if the tariff is not enhanced suitably by the Government shortly.
This Association desires proper evaluation of these aspects by the Government instead of coming out with oft-repeated reply that many hospitals and diagnostic centres are with CGHS accepting the present rates etc. If the rates are not so low as these private hospitals claim, the Empanelled hospitals cannot refuse CGHS beneficiaries for treatment on that count. If the claim of the hospitals is false, the Government should not hesitate to take action against these private hospitals. After all, these private hospitals enjoy many concessions from Governments including land at subsidized prices at the time of opening of their hospitals with the assurance that 5% poor patients will be treated free. We doubt that other than the poor relatives of the hospital owners, no other patients who are poor are treated in their hospitals. The private hospitals squeezed as much millions as possible from the people by taking advantage of the fear of people which we had seen during the pandemic. If the rates of hospital treatment are really low and cost the hospitals very badly if CGHS beneficiaries are treated with the present tariff there, then the Government should not hesitate to revise the tariff suitably upwards in consultation with the hospital authorities. Either way the intention of the Government should be to retain all the existing empanelled hospitals with CGHS and attract more outfits. This alone will be helpful to the poor CGHS beneficiaries especially pensioners who cannot afford to spend cash towards medical treatment and cannot undergo the sufferings of denial of beds after getting the reference from CGHS.
This All India Postal & RMS Pensioners Association trusts that necessary action would be initiated immediately to end the plight of pensioners and make the existence of CGHS meaningful and beneficiaries-friendly.
Thanking you Sir,
Yours faithfully,
Sd/-
(K.Ragavendran)
General Secretary
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