NCCPA Memorandum on pensioners issues for consideration by the New Government assuming office after June 4th 2024
NATIONAL CO-ORDINATION COMMITTEE OF PENSIONERS ASSOCIATIONS (Registered under the T.U. Act RTU-01/2021) PAN NO: AAEAN8586F 29, South Agraharam, Kattuputhur — 621207 (Tiruchirappalli District, Tamilnadu) Website: nccpahq.blogspot.in E mail: nccpa-hqg@gmail.com. Shiva Gopal Mishra K.Ragavendran G.Kumar President Secretary General Treasurer 97176 47594 9444919295 9444311728 NCCPA / Memorandum Dated 25th May 2024
Sub: Memorandum on Pensioners issues for consideration by the New Government assuming office after June 4th 2024null
National Coordination Committee of Pensioners Associations submits this memorandum on issues confronted by the Pensioners and Family Pensioners regarding CGHS and some other important Pension related issues. The Association is confident that these issues will receive careful consideration of the New Government assumes office after June 4th. It is not out of place to mention that the Central Government remitted office recently did not pay necessary attention to the improvement of maladies in CGHS system and other Pension related issues confronting the Pensioners and Family Pensioners for long. We hope that the New Government to assume office after June 4 will seriously consider our issues and take efforts to solve the long pending issues:
1. Maladies in CGHS System:
A) Linkage of CGHS with ABHA: There are numerous maladies in the CGHS System that requires immediate attention for required improvement. Instead of attending for improvement of CGHS as demanded by several Pensioners Associations for years, the Central Government tried to further bring deterioration in the condition of CGHS system and thereby adversely affect the interests of beneficiaries of CGHS.
The glaring example is the OM ( F.No.Z15025/23)/2023/DIR/CGHS (Comp No.8236195) 1/3663776/2024 Dated 28.03.2024) issued by the Ministry of Health & FW for mandatory linking of CGHS with ABHA system. The Central Government one year back while desiring the linkage assured the Pensioners that the move is only optional and not mandatory. But issued another OM recently as above declaring the linkage as mandatory. The Pensioners and Family Pensioners were alarmed by this move of Government because the linkage will forfeit the beneficiaries the right to choose the treatment in a private empanelled hospital of CGHS and force them to the Government Hospital only, if an order to that effect is issued by the CGHS tomorrow or day after citing the adverse financial condition.
The NCCPA requests for abrogation of the recent OMs forcing the linkage of CGHS with ABHA as mandatory.
B) Improvement of CGHS:
1. Opening Wellness Centres in all Districts:
The CGHS System today is present with a lot of problems. The wellness centres are opened only in selected places and not in all revenue districts of the country. Recently the P&T Pensioners also added to the CGHS irrespective of the places of their residence, and thereby the beneficiaries are increased in all districts. But the presence of Wellness Centres in selected places force these beneficiaries to travel longer distances to the places of CGHS for taking the treatment. Thus, the diseased senior citizens are to travel long for consulting CGHS doctors. Moreover, there are no earmarked empanelled hospitals also in their place where they can go and take treatment. The Government should come forward to open wellness centres in all revenue districts or earmark a private hospital till such time in every revenue district for taking treatment by the beneficiaries. Similarly, there are no empanelled hospitals in many cities and the beneficiaries are to travel long for indoor treatment. For example, the empanelled hospitals are present only in Guwahati of Assam in the entire North East. The difficulties experienced by the diseased senior citizens can be well understood by the Government.
2. Opening Office of AD in all States:
There are newly formed States which do not have any office of Assistant Director so far, like the Andhra Pradesh. Immediate formation of office of AD is very paramount in those states. Similarly, office of AD is kept in other states as in the case of Uttar Pradesh AD at Kanpur is looking after the area of Madhya Pradesh. These aberrations should be ended.
3. Stopping the proposal of PPP of Wellness Centers:
The recent meeting of the Secretary of Ministry of Health & PP with all Additional Directors of CGHS held on 18.04.2024 discussed the item in the agenda for running the CGHS Wellness Centres on ‘Public Private Partnership’. This shows the mental make up of privatization of CGHS by the Central Government. NCCPA is opposed to any such proposal and urges to drop the proposal for turning the wellness centres controlled by private.
4. Augmenting doctors and para-medical staff:
It can be seen that the process of recruitment of doctors and para-medical staff are faulty that even the skeleton strength of Doctors and Para-Medical Staff are absent in most of the wellness centres. The assurances of the Government notwithstanding the condition is full of shortage. Special effort to augment the Doctors and Para-Medical Staff are much needed and to be undertaken by the Government.
5. Medicines Shortage:
The medicines especially the life-saving drugs are not stockpiled enough at the wellness centres to distribute to the beneficiaries immediately on prescription. Many medicines are to be local purchased and the beneficiaries are asked to come again to the wellness centres to collect those medicines. This forces the Pensioners and Family Pensioners to visit the wellness centres twice and forcing the diseased senior citizens like this is cruel. NCCPA requests for suitable remedial action.
