CGHS facilities to PIB accredited Media Persons

The Government of India has liberalized the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities for PIB accredited media persons. All facilities available to the PIB accredited journalists will now also be available to their eligible dependent family members.

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare has streamlined the procedure making it easier for media persons to avail of facilities in empanelled private and Government hospitals. Media persons can now get OPD consultation from any Government hospital and procure the medicines through the concerned CGHS Wellness Centres. Media persons can also get treatment at any of the empanelled hospitals on the basis of the CGHS card issued to them. Empanelled hospitals will charge only the CGHS rates for the facilities for which they are empanelled.

The necessity of permission letter for investigations has been done away with and CGHS beneficiaries can get investigations done at empanelled diagnostic labs on the basis of advice of CGHS doctors/Government specialists. The Ministry has already issued orders in this regard on 1.1.2013. However, journalists will have to pay for the investigations at the CGHS rates and no reimbursement is permitted. Under these rules, the journalists can also go to any empanelled hospital during any emergency.