The apex consumer commission has directed the Centre to provide a pensioner's identity card with nursing home facilities to a retired Delhi police officer so that he can avail of the benefits under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).
The order came on the plea of retired police officer Ved Prakash Juneja.
Juneja had approached National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against the orders of the Delhi State Consumer Commission and a district forum which had not provided him the relief he had sought--to provide him a CGHS pensioner's I-Card with nursing home facility.
Juneja had in 2008 moved the district forum seeking that the amount he had spent on his medical treatment, subsequent to an accident, be reimbursed and to provide him with a CGHS pensioner's I-Card.
While the district forum allowed reimbursement of the medical expenses, it had rejected his plea for a CGHS I-Card.
Thereafter, he had moved the state commission which dismissed his appeal on the ground that he was not a consumer and against this order he had approached the NCDRC.
NCDRC also said that as per a central government office memorandum (OM) of 1989, if a contribution, on the basis of last pay drawn, is made to the CGHS by a pensioner or his family, they are entitled to avail the treatment at the same level as on the date of retirement/date of death of the employee.
"We hold that the petitioner is eligible to issuance of CGHS pensioner's I-Card with nursing home facility in terms of instructions contained in the Department of Health's office memorandum (OM) of October 30, 1974 read with classificatory instructions contained in the later OM of 1989.
"We, therefore, direct the Director, CGHS, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to issue pensioner's I-Card with nursing home facilities to the petitioner, subject to the petitioner making payment of lump sum amount of contribution to the CGHS for issuance of such a card," said a bench presided by its member Suresh Chandra.
The commission directed the retired police officer to pay Rs 480 as lump sum.
