There is good news for millions of central government employees, especially railway workers.
They will no longer need to approach the Railway Board or ministries to get approval for treatment of serious illnesses such as cancer, kidney transplant, and heart disease.
Higher Approval Powers for Department Heads
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an important order that greatly increases the financial powers of Heads of Departments (HODs) in central government departments.
As per the order signed by Under Secretary Hemlata Singh, department heads under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) can now approve medical expenses up to ₹10 lakh without consulting the Integrated Finance Department (IFD). Earlier, this approval limit was ₹5 lakh, which has now been doubled.
Faster Treatment for Railway Employees
This new system will be implemented immediately across all central departments, including railways, defence, postal, finance, and civil services.
Earlier, railway employees had to send treatment proposals for serious diseases to the Railway Board through the General Manager (GM).
This long approval process caused delays and often worsened the patient’s condition. The National Federation of Indian Railwaymen (NFIR) had strongly raised this issue with the Railway Board.
Zonal Secretary Shashi Mishra said that employees faced heavy mental and financial stress while waiting for approval.
Now, since approvals will be given at the department head level, treatment can start faster and employees will receive timely medical care.
Key Rules That Will Continue
Referral and reimbursement: Department heads can now give permission and post-facto approval for referrals and medical reimbursement under CGHS.
Fixed CGHS rates: Reimbursement payments will still be made according to CGHS-approved rates.
Direct benefit to patients: Critically ill employees will no longer face delays in starting treatment due to funding approval issues.
