Pensioners Forum Slams CGHS for Delay in Medical Card Processing, Cites Patient Neglect

Kanpur, March 28 – The Pensioners Forum has raised serious concerns over the continuous negligence of CGHS officials in issuing medical cards to retired employees. A delegation led by General Secretary Anand Awasthi met with CGHS Additional Director Shri Lal Narayan and presented a memorandum highlighting recent incidents of patient mistreatment and negligence due to lack of valid medical cards.

The memorandum emphasised the case of retired CGHS beneficiaries who are denied hospital treatment simply because they do not have updated medical cards. One shocking case involved a deceased individual whose body had to be kept waiting for a lift because lower staff refused to assist due to lack of medical clearance. Despite several temporary and contract-based staff being employed in CGHS offices, the negligence in issuing medical cards continues.

Forum representatives alleged that even those who retired long ago still haven't received valid CGHS medical cards. They claimed that although hospitals require authorised medical approvals for patient admission, no such facilitation is currently happening.

The memorandum also highlighted that hospitals are refusing to admit patients without updated medical authorisation. No official information has been issued by hospitals regarding the status of approvals, leaving families in distress. Despite repeated efforts by the forum and earlier letters dated 28/06/2024, there has been no compliance or resolution from the concerned department.

The delegation demanded that proper medical cards be issued immediately and that hospital coordination be improved to prevent such life-threatening delays in the future.

The memorandum was supported by senior forum members including Additional General Secretary Satyanarayan, B.L. Gulbiya, Ravindra Kumar Madhur, R.P. Verma, A.K. Nigam, Subhash Bhatia, Awadhesh Shrivastava, Tarachand, B.P. Shrivastava, and others.