All about the Central Government Health Scheme CGHS

India has a dynamic healthcare industry that will only make further progress in the coming years. However, like most healthcare systems across the globe, India’s healthcare has its fair share of shortcomings and tremendous scope for improvement. 

Moreover, a considerable proportion of its populace remains alienated from the system, and equal access to healthcare for all citizens remains a major concern for the country. The government, therefore, aims to combat this issue through a number of programmes and schemes, one of which is the Central Government Health Scheme. 

Allow us to offer you a clearer picture of this scheme so that you can understand its ins and outs.

The Government of India in 1954 introduced the Central Govt Health Scheme or CGHS as a healthcare facility for the former and current employees of the central government.

This scheme was explicitly mapped out for the betterment of individuals by rendering comprehensive medical care to its eligible beneficiaries.

Let’s take a closer look at the components of the Central Government Health Scheme:

• Dispensary services, including domiciliary care
• Consultation facilities by specialist doctors
• Laboratory examinations such as ECG and X-ray
• Hospitalisation
• Purchase, supply, and storage of medicines and other medical requirements
• Health education to the beneficiaries
• Maternity and child care
• Family welfare services

Furthermore, CGHS extends health care by way of several systems of medicine, namely:

• Homeopathy
• Allopathy
• Indian system of medicine
  • Ayurveda
  • Yoga
  • Unani
  • Siddha

Wondering if you can avail the benefits of this scheme?

As aforementioned, CGHS is offered to central government employees only. Moreover, this scheme covers the following persons:

• Central Government Pensioners and their families who benefit from Contributory Provident Fund
• Central Government employees residing in CGHS covered areas, and their family members 
• Employees of the Railway Board
• Pensioners of Central Government and their families
• Post and telegraph department employees
• Journalists who are members of the Press Association
• Civilian employees of Defence
• Freedom Fighters and their family members receiving a pension under the Sainik Samman Scheme
• Widows of Central Government pensioners, in receipt of family pension
• Delhi Police personnel and their families
• Central Government employees deputed to semi-government or autonomous bodies receive significant finance by or grant from the Central Government
• Ex-Vice Presidents of India and their families
• Ex-Lt. Governors and Governors, as well as their families
• Families of Governments employees transferred to a non-CGHS area
• Members of Parliament, including their families
• Former members of Parliament
• Kendriya Vidyalayas Sangathan’s employees stationed at Delhi and NCR, Chennai Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad
• Judges of Supreme Court and High Court of Delhi
• Former Judges of High Courts and the Supreme Court 
• IAS Officer's family members on North-Eastern Cadre are staying back in Delhi even after the officer's repatriation to the North-Eastern Cadre. This is also applicable to the family members of IAS Officers of J&K Cadre 
• Family of a Central Govt. employee and CGHS beneficiary who stay back in CGHS covered area after the employee’s posting to North Eastern region
• Industrial Staff working in establishments run by Ministries or Departments of the Central Government
• Central Government’s Parliamentary secretaries and their families
• Family members of deceased Ex-Members of Parliament
• Pensioners of Ordnance factories
• Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission’s employees and their families
• Retired Divisional Accountants of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department whose pay and pension are borne by state governments
• Members of the Staff Side of the National Council of the Joint Consultative Machinery, even though not serving as Central Government employees
• Serving and retired Railway Audit Staff
• CISF and CAPF personnel posted in CGHS-covered areas, and their families
• Serving and retired Divisional Accountants and Divisional Accounts Officers
• Supreme Court Legal Services Committee’s employees

The Government of India provides all CGHS beneficiaries and their dependents with a photo ID plastic card called a CGHS card. It contains a unique beneficiary identity number, which an individual must produce to CGHS facilities at any point.

This card is white with a varying-coloured stripe at the top that depicts the cardholder’s status. Therefore, this strip can be any of the following colours:

• Yellow: A journalist of an autonomous company
• Blue: A serving government employee
• Red: A member of the Parliament
• Green: A pensioner, ex-MP, retired personnel, or a freedom fighter

CGHS cards remain valid until a beneficiary’s retirement date. To extend its validity post-retirement, one must make his/her contribution a year before the completion. 

Additionally, after the expiration of this card, the cardholder must surrender the card to the concerned department.

In case you want to renew your CGHS card, you must submit a form and the necessary details.

Under no circumstance can this card be transferred from one employee to another. Furthermore, missing this card will attract penalties, and in extreme cases, strict disciplinary actions.

If eligible to be a CGHS beneficiary, you can apply for a CGHS card either from an authorised wellness center or through online registration. If taking the online route, simply visit the CGHS portal and submit an application form.

So, you can easily procure a CGHS card online if you reside in any of its applicable cities. Some of these cities include:

• Agartala 
• Agra 
• Imphal 
• Raipur
• Kozhikode 
• Aligarh 
• Allahabad (Prayagraj) 
• Ambala 
• Amritsar 
• Ranchi 
• Rajahmundry 
• Baghpat 
• Bengaluru 
• Bareilly 
• Berhampur 
• Jaipur 
• Kannur 
• Lucknow 
• Kanpur 
• Visakhapatnam 
• Dehradun 
• Delhi & NCR 
• Hyderabad (Trichy) 
• Mumbai 
• Ahmedabad 
• Srinagar

Premised upon your status, procuring a CGHS card calls for you to furnish the following documents:

• Pensioners
  • Demand draft
  • Copies of Provisional PPO/PPO/Last Pay Certificate
• For serving employees
  • Residential proof
  • Age proof of dependent(s)
  • Dependent’s proof of stay
  • In case a dependent is differently-abled, a certificate of disablement from a valid authority

Presently, this scheme covers 74 cities all across the country and comprises 38.5 lakh beneficiaries.

The Central Government Health Scheme, through an array of healthcare benefits, extends a helping hand to a sizable chunk of the Indian populace.