Indian Railways has made an important change in the health care 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 can be made at a meagre cost of Rs 100. This new system will benefit about 12.5 lakh employees, more than 15 lakh pensioners and about 10 lakh dependents of the Railways.
This decision has been taken after complaints from employees and pensioners alleging that doctors issue referrals for their preferred hospitals. Under the new policy, treatment will now be possible without referral. This will provide them with medical facilities without any hindrance and complaints related to doctors’ referrals will also be resolved. 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 necessary medicines will also be provided in these institutes.
On Monday, Pranav Kumar Malik, the Executive Director (Transformation) of the Railway Board, issued a directive for the immediate rollout of Unique Medical Identification (UMID) cards. This initiative is aimed at streamlining the medical identification process for railway employees and pensioners. By integrating it with the Health Management Information System (HMIS), the UMID card will be securely stored in DigiLocker, a government-endorsed digital storage platform that ensures the safety and accessibility of important documents.
In addition to being available in DigiLocker, the UMID card will also be directly linked to the individual profiles of employees and pensioners within the railway system. This integration is expected to simplify the process of availing healthcare benefits, reduce paperwork and enhance the overall efficiency of the healthcare services provided to railway staff.
Through this card, employees, pensioners or dependents will be able to get treatment in any hospital or diagnostic centre included in the panel of railways. This card can be used for emergency or general treatment. If someone does not have a UMID card, their UMID number will also be valid for treatment. Under special circumstances, referrals will be issued for some hospitals, which will be valid for 30 days.
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