Central Govt. Health Scheme (CGHS)

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) is a health scheme for current and retired government employees. It facilitates treatment under different systems of medicine. Some facilities under it are OPD treatment and medication costs, and indoor treatment. Additionally, maternity and child health services, family welfare, and medical consultation are included. It also features medicines for Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH). You can download the CGHS application form from the Central Government's official website. After you become a beneficiary, you can get a CGHS card and receive the benefits when you present it.

Individuals of the following categories are eligible to become beneficiaries of CGHS-

• Employees who acquire wages from the Central civil estimates and their beneficiaries 

• Dependents of those families residing in areas under the Central Govt. Health Scheme

• Pensioners of the Central Government

• Parliament members

• Former Vice Presidents

• Current or retired judges of the Supreme Court and the High Court

• Post and telegraph department employees

• Delhi police personnel

• Freedom fighters

• Press Information Bureau journalists

• Railway board employees

Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. You can see the complete list of eligible individuals for the scheme on the official website.

The following types of medical systems are covered under CGHS:

• Allopathy

• Homoeopathy

• Indian System of Medicine

  1. Ayurveda

  2. Unani

  3. Siddha

  4. Yoga

CGHS offers comprehensive medical care to registered beneficiaries and their dependents. The list of facilities offered by CGHS-authorised wellness centres is listed below:

• OPD treatment and medication costs

• Specialist consultation at the government or polyclinic hospitals

• Indoor treatment at government or CGHS empanelled hospitals

• Investigations at government or CGHS empanelled hospitals

• Cashless facilities in CGHS empanelled hospitals and diagnostic centres

• Reimbursement for treatments, purchase of products like hearing aids, artificial limbs, appliances, etc.

• Maternity and child health services and family welfare

• Medical consultation and dispensing medicines for AYUSH

CGHS has been made available only in certain specified cities of India. Here’s an overview of the cities that are covered by CGHS. 

The entitlement of wards in private hospitals empanelled under the CGHS scheme is based on the individual’s pay grade. Check out the table below for more information on ward entitlement: 

You can quickly book a CGHS online appointment for a wellness centre online. All that you need to do is follow the steps listed below.

1. Visit the official CGHS online portal at cghs.nic.in

2. Click on ‘Online Appointment’ under the ‘Book Appointment’ section

3. Enter your beneficiary ID, and captcha and generate an OTP (One-Time Password)

4. Enter the OTP you receive on the registered mobile number and select ‘Proceed’

5. You can then choose the speciality, the CGHS dispensary, and the doctor on the next page

6. Click on ‘Proceed’ following this

7. You can then choose the appointment date according to the doctor's availability

8. Following this, the screen will display slot timings and available appointments

9. Select ‘Proceed to Book Appointment’

10. The CGHS online appointment, your details and a summary will be displayed

11. Choose ‘Confirm to Book Appointment’ and a confirmation status will appear

This confirmation receipt can be printed. The system will also send a confirmation SMS to your registered contact number.

A CGHS card is a plastic card provided to central government employees. It consists of a photo ID and a beneficiary ID number. Employees with the CGHS card can avail the benefits of the scheme. They can do so by presenting it at an authorised wellness centre. 

Cardholders need to report to the police station and the CGHS authorities in case they lose the card. In order to obtain a duplicate card, the employee needs to submit certain documents. These are a copy of the FIR and application form, and pay a penalty of ₹50.

The CGHS plastic card is white in colour and has a coloured stripe at the top. This strip can be of any of the following colours and depicts the status of the cardholder. 

• Red – The cardholder is a Member of the Parliament (MP)

• Blue – The cardholder is a serving government employee

• Green – The cardholder is a freedom fighter, pensioner, retired personnel or an ex-MP

• Yellow – The cardholder is a journalist and beneficiary of an autonomous company

The documents required as part of the CGHS application process may vary. This is depending on whether you’re a serving employee or a pensioner. Here’s an overview of the list of documents required for the card. 

1. For Serving Employees 

• Disablement certificate from a valid authority in case any dependent is differently-abled

• Proof of stay of the dependents

• Age proof of the dependents

• Proof of residency

2. For Pensioners

• Proof of residency

• Age proof of the dependent

• Proof of stay of the dependent

• Disablement certificate from a valid authority in case any dependent is differently-abled

• Attested copies of PPO, Provisional PPO or Last Pay Certificate

• Surrender Certificate, if CGHS card was issued during service

• Demand Draft

In the case of serving employees, the CGHS card is valid until the day of their retirement. To extend or continue the CGHS card's validity, a contribution has to be made. This is prior to the completion year.

However, it is different in the case of employees transferred to non-CGHS regions. Here, the card is valid for family members for up to 6 months after the transfer. This is, however, if the contribution was made beforehand.

The Central Government Health Scheme card is valid in all CGHS-covered regions. This includes hospitalisation, treatment and investigation. A transfer permit to get treated in another CGHS city is only needed for high-value medicines. These are classified as lifesaving or restricted supply medicines.

CGHS cards can be used in the case of a transfer of employees from one department/ministry to another. This is provided it is in the same city. The necessary changes shall be made in the employee database.

For the transfer of serving employees from one city covered by CGHS to another, the same CGHS card can be used. The form and the transfer order need to be sent to the Additional Director (AD) of the current CGHS city. A transfer of the card to the new city needs to be completed online. Once that’s done, the employee can then validate the card. This can be done by submitting an application and supporting documents to the new CGHS city's AD.

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