CGHS Patients Face Life-Threatening Delays

For numerous elderly and critically ill patients enrolled in the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), the most significant threat is no longer their illness but the prolonged wait for treatment approvals. Representations to the Union health minister highlight how essential life-saving procedures and medications are stalled for 45 to 120 days, a critical period many patients cannot afford to lose.

The current system requires that even after a government specialist's urgent prescription, cases involving high-cost or unlisted therapies must undergo clearance from a central committee in Delhi. This leads to extensive file movement and relies on infrequent meetings, significantly delaying critical interventions for diseases like cancer, heart failure, and advanced kidney conditions. Such delays have demonstrably led to inoperable tumors and disease progression.

Doctors emphasize that these treatments are time-bound, and delayed intervention severely worsens patient outcomes, potentially violating their right to life. Health policy experts criticize the centralized approval process, managed by a Delhi-based panel for patients nationwide, for creating inequity and turning the right to healthcare into a drawn-out administrative hurdle.

The CGHS Beneficiaries Welfare Association has proposed urgent reforms, including decentralizing approval authority, establishing strict timelines, and implementing automatic approvals if decisions are not met promptly. They also advocate for emergency provisions for life-saving care and automatic clearance for elderly patients.