Advisory to all Railway empanelled Health Care Organizations.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
(RAILWAY BOARD)
No. 2025/H-1/11/2 dated 22.04.2025
To:
Pr. Chief Medical Directors,
All Indian Railways.
Pr. Chief Medical Officers,
All Production Units & RDSO.
Sub:- Advisory to all Railway empanelled Health Care Organizations.
Ref:- CGHS’ letter no. 5-36/CGHS (HQ)/HEC/2024/2612-37 dated 19.12.2024.
In order to address the issues of overcharging, denial of treatment and other grievances, CGHS vide their letter cited under reference has issued advisory to CGHS empanelled HCOs.
Accordingly, to address the complaints received from Railway beneficiaries regarding overcharging, denial of treatment and other grievances, following guidelines are being issued for Railway empanelled HCOs:
1. Provision of Services
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HCOs must not deny services to any eligible Railway beneficiaries.
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Signatures of beneficiaries/attendants (in case of patient death or coma) along with mobile numbers must be obtained on final bills for all indoor and OPD services, including daycare, lab services, dialysis, etc.
2. Reporting Requirements
HCOs must report the following cases to the concerned Railway within 24 hours via email to the dedicated email IDs (to be shared by the concerned Railway officer):
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Details of non-referral cases.
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Emergency admissions and consultations.
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Direct visits and admissions of beneficiaries aged 70 years and above, including inpatient card details.
3. Bed Availability Display
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HCOs must prominently display the availability of beds in various wards and ICUs for the benefit of visiting patients.
4. Ward Entitlement
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Beneficiaries must be provided their ward/rooms according to their entitled category. Allocating a lower category is unacceptable.
5. Prescription Standards
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Prescriptions must be written in generic names and in capital letters.
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HCOs must not insist on specific brands.
6. Implant/Device Choices
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If a beneficiary selects an implant priced above the CGHS ceiling rate, informed consent must be obtained, clearly stating that the additional cost cannot be claimed from Railways. This consent must be attached to the bill.
7. Information Display
All HCOs must display the following details on their notice boards and other prominent places:
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Empanelled under: Railways
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Charges: As per CGHS/Railways approved rates
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Beneficiaries eligible for Credit:
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Serving Railway employees & their dependents
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Retired Railway employees
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Other Categories of UMID Cardholders or other Cards issued by Railways (as notified)
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Name and contact of the Nodal Officer
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Escalation Matrix
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Email ID of the concerned Railway officer
8. Nodal Officer Updates
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Any changes in the Nodal Officer’s details (name or phone number) must be immediately communicated to the concerned Railway officer.
9. Railway Help Desk/Kiosk
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All HCOs must establish a Railway Help Desk/Kiosk on their premises to facilitate beneficiaries.
10. UMID/Railway Identity Card Handling
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HCOs are strictly prohibited from collecting or retaining the hard copy of the UMID/Railway Identity Card of any beneficiary.
11. Adherence to Package Rates
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HCOs must not collect any amount from beneficiaries beyond the package rates prescribed by CGHS/Railways (as per the rates mentioned in the MoU with the HCO).
12. Fraudulent Billing
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Submission of fake bills or forged documents by any HCO will be considered financial fraud. Legal action will be initiated, including FIR filing, as per applicable laws.
Failure to adhere to these instructions will result in serious consequences, including de-empanelment or blacklisting, as per the MoU provisions.
All Zonal Railways/PUs are advised to circulate these guidelines to all Railway empanelled HCOs for strict compliance.
(Dr. Ashutosh Garg)
Director/Health (Policy & Project)
Railway Board
Ministry of Railways
📞 011-47843134
✉️ dirhpp@rb.railnet.gov.in
Room No. 306, 3rd Floor, Railways Offices Complex, Tilak Bridge, New Delhi-110002
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