Federation seeks health insurance for pensioners

   The All India Federation of Pensioner's Associations has appealed to the  Central and State governments to provide health insurance cover to all their  employees and retirees.

    At the association's two-day annual general body meeting that got under way  here on Friday, its representatives said employees of the Post and Telegraph  Department should also be made beneficiaries of Central Government Health  Scheme (CGHS). The Centre should also provide more CGHS facilities in
districts as pensioners were forced to seek treatment at nearby government  hospitals in their absence, they added.

   “All pensioners, whether they retired before 2006 or after, should be  treated on a par and the financial benefits due to them should also be  equal,” the association president K.S. Jayavelu said. He also appealed for  increasing the pension for destitute elderly persons in the State to  Rs.1,000.

    Members of the association suggested that pension for those covered under  Employment Provident Fund be “reasonably revised”.

    Principal Secretary, Health, V.K. Subburaj, inaugurated the meeting and  released two books – Healthy Nutrition for the Elderly and Elders' Health –  authored by geriatrician V.S. Natarajan.

    Mr. Subburaj said only half of those who work in the government sector  retire with full retirement benefits. Others spend several years running  from one department to the other to settle “audit objections”.

    Sometimes retirees spend even up to 20 years in their efforts to get their  full pensions, he said. Unless audit objections are sorted out, retirement  benefits would be withheld, he added.

    “Usually we are lenient with employees who are retiring. But sometimes  action has to be taken based on audit objections. Government sector  employees should know the rules and not delay taking decisions to avoid  audit objections,” he suggested.

    He urged the retirees to opt for health insurance scheme and annual check up  to avoid high medical bills. Anyone with an annual income of less than  Rs.72,000 was eligible for treatment under the State government's Kalaignar  insurance scheme, Mr. Subburaj said.

    “We have master health check up at government hospitals. Senior citizens  have special schemes at the GHs and are given preferential treatment,” he  added.



SOURCE - THE HINDU