New Delhi: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has launched the MCD Employees’ Health Scheme for cashless treatment for its in-service employees at hospitals empanelled under Central Govt Health Scheme (CGHS). Under the new scheme, the civic body is in the process of fresh empanelment of private hospitals and revising the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) to enable cashless indoor treatment and medical procedures for nearly 1.4 lakh employees and their dependants at most places. Payments will be made directly by MCD to the hospitals. A separate list of empanelled private hospitals is expected soon. Officials said the previous medical scheme failed due to MCD’s prolonged financial crisis, which resulted in delayed payments to the hospitals. As a consequence, employees and pensioners were often denied treatment. “Earlier, in-service staff paid hospital bills upfront and were reimbursed later as per CGHS rates. Pensioners were entitled to cashless treatment. However, due to the financial crunch, we could not clear pending hospital bills, causing serious inconvenience to both employees and pensioners,” an official said. Under the revised framework, in-service employees will mandatorily contribute a fixed monthly amount from their salaries, ranging from Rs 250 to Rs 1,000, depending on their pay scale. The contribution will be deposited into an escrow account created specifically for the scheme. “Since not all employees require treatment at the same time, this pooled fund will allow us to provide cashless treatment more efficiently. We are planning to extend the same model to pensioners,” the official added. Membership under the scheme will be compulsory for all regular employees, and the monthly subscription will be deducted as per prevailing CGHS rates. Treatments and procedures not covered under CGHS package rates will not be eligible for cashless treatment. In such cases, the existing reimbursement mechanism will continue. “In emergencies, accidents or other exceptional situations, beneficiaries may seek treatment at the nearest available hospital. However, cashless treatment will not apply in such cases, and here too, reimbursement will be limited to CGHS Delhi rates,” the order said. The order stated that employees can get medical services at all MCD health units without any charges. Reimbursement for treatment in govt hospitals will be made in accordance with the Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules, 1944.
