look news india
New Delhi. Indian Railways has made a major change in the healthcare policy for its employees, pensioners and their dependents. Railways will now issue Unique Medical Identification (UMID) cards to all its employees, their dependents and pensioners, through which they will be able to get free treatment in hospitals included in the railway panel and all All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the country. This card will be made for Rs 100. This new system will benefit about 12.5 lakh employees of the Railways, more than 15 lakh pensioners and about 10 lakh dependents.
This decision has been taken after complaints from employees and pensioners, which alleged that doctors issue referrals for their preferred hospitals. Under the new policy, treatment will now be possible even without referral. This will provide them medical facilities without any hindrance and will also resolve complaints related to doctors' referrals. No referral will be required for treatment in national institutes like PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry, NIMHANS Bangalore and 25 AIIMS in the country. Not only treatment but also necessary medicines will be provided in these institutes.
This decision came into effect with immediate effect
Railway Board Executive Director (Transformation) Pranav Kumar Malik on Monday ordered the issuance of Unique Medical Identification (UMID) cards. The decision has come into effect with immediate effect. The UMID card will be stored in DigiLocker through the Health Management Information System (HMIS). It will also be available on the profiles of employees and pensioners.
Through this card, employees, pensioners or dependents will be able to get treatment in any hospital or diagnostic center included in the railway panel. This card can be used for emergency or general treatment. If someone does not have a UMID card, then his UMID number will also be valid for treatment. In special circumstances, referrals will be issued for some hospitals, which will be valid for a period of 30 days.