CGHS: If you are a central government employee approaching retirement, there is positive news for you. The process of acquiring a CGHS (Central Government Health Scheme) pensioner card has now been simplified. The central government has streamlined the CGHS online system with the Bhavishya portal, minimizing paperwork for retiring employees and expediting the application process.
This fresh initiative by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) and the Department of Pension and Pensioners’ Welfare (DoPPW) is designed to ensure that employees promptly access healthcare benefits after retirement without unnecessary delays.
No need for repetitive data entry
Under the updated system, as retiring employees apply through the Bhavishya portal, their pre-verified pension details will automatically populate the CGHS Pensioner Card application form. This will eradicate the need for redundant data entry and significantly decrease the possibility of errors.
The government has designated PAN as a unique identifier for data authentication and sharing between the two portals. This will enhance the security and speed of the application process.
How to obtain the CGHS pensioner card
Once the Head of Office verifies the pension-related documents and issues the Pension Payment Order (PPO), employees can pay the prescribed CGHS fee online via the BharatKosh payment gateway.
Subsequently, the CGHS pensioner card will be digitally generated. Employees can download it from both the CGHS portal and the Bhavishya portal. This will largely eliminate the necessity for office visits and physical document submission.
The traditional method remains available
The government has clarified that this new feature is an additional alternative. Employees can still opt to apply for a pensioner card directly through the CGHS portal, as previously done. This means retiring employees now have both choices accessible to them, depending on their preference.
What benefits will retired employees receive?
The need for healthcare typically rises post-retirement. Delays in obtaining a CGHS pensioner card during such times can hinder access to treatment and other healthcare services. The new digital system will accelerate the application process, decrease paperwork, and avoid the need for document re-verification.
The government anticipates that this will ensure retiring employees promptly receive CGHS benefits. Hence, all central ministries and government departments have been instructed to inform employees nearing retirement about this new feature, aiming to maximize its benefits to more individuals.