Enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for pensioners & family pensioners: IRTSA
Enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for pensioners & family pensioners: IRTSA Memo to Secretary Finance (Expenditure)
INDIAN RAILWAYS TECHNICAL SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION
No: IRTSA/ CHQ/ FMA/2022-3
Date: 25.04.2022
Secretary Finance (Expenditure),
North Block,
New Delhi – 110001
Respected Sir,
Sub: Enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for pensioners & family pensioners.
Ref: Recommendations of 110″ report on “Pensioner’s Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)”
1. We seek your kind intervention to consider and revise FMA as per the recommendations of 110th report on “Pensioner’s Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)”.
2. At present Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) Rs.1000 per month is granted to the Railway pensioners/Family Pensioners residing in areas beyond 2.5 Kms of Railway Hospital/Health Unit for meeting expenditure on their day-to-day medical expenses that do not require hospitalization.
3. The present rate of Rs.1000 per month is inadequate considering the increased cost of medicine and medical supplies.
4. In para 3.21 of 110th report on “Pensioner’s Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)” submitted to Parliament on 10th December 2021, it was recommended that, “The Committee takes note of the fact that Fixed Medical Allowance is granted to pensioners who reside outside the CGHS areas for meeting expenditure on day-to-day medical expenses (OPD) that do not require hospitalization. The Committee also takes note of the request of Pensioners’ Associations for enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per month as most pensioners are suffering from different diseases at old age and are unable to manage with meagre pension as CGHS hospital is not available in every town. The Committee recommends DoPPW to take up this issue of enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance with the Finance Ministry as Rs 1000 is a very meagre amount for an old age pensioner and apprise the views of the Finance Ministry to the Committee in its Action Taken Replies”.
5. It is therefore requested that, Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) may please be enhanced to Rs.3000 per month.
Thanking you
Yours’ faithfully,
(Harchandan Singh),
General Secretary, IRTSA
Copy to
1) Secretary Department of Personnel & Training, North Block, New Delhi – 110 001
2) Additional Secretary, Department of Expenditure, Room No. 39A, North Block, New Delhi – 110001
3) Principal Executive Director (Staff), Room No 208, Rail Bhavan, New Delhi- 110001
4) Secretary Establishment, Railway Board, Room No 227, Rail Bhavan, New Delhi – 110001
Source: IRTSA
Fixed medical allowance should be granted according to the distance of the nearest hospital which is under the panel of CGHS which after the OPD inspection directs the patient or the family close by to admit the patient to admit the government servant in the same hospital which is to give the Emergency Certificate based on which the medical bill paid in the hospital could be settled with a clear indication of the distance of the hospital with the dispensary duly certified by the CMO of the concerned dispensary.. in my case my residence is 7 Kms inside the Bangalore Highway to enter a village turned colony named Padur costing over 350 Rs each side from the residence to the CGHS dispensary at Nandambakkam.