Fixed Medical Allowance for pensioners & family pensioners

Fixed Medical Allowance for pensioners

RAILWAY SENIOR CITIZENS WELFARE SOCIETY
(Estd. 1991, Regd. No. 1881 — Under Registration of Societies Act),

No. RSCWS/CHD/ Memo / 2022-14

Dated: 13-5-2022

1. Secretary Finance (Expenditure), North Block, New Delhi – 110001
2. Secretary, Department of Public Grievances, Adm. Reforms & Pensions, 5th Floor, Patel Bhavan, Parliament Street, New Delhi — 110001

Dear Sir,

Sub: Enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) for pensioners & family pensioners.

Ref: Recommendations of 110th report of Parliamentary Standing Committee on “Pensioners Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)”

1. We seek your kind intervention to consider and revise Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) as per the recommendations of 110th report of Parliamentary Standing Committee on “Pensioner’s Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)”.

2. At present Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) Rs.1000 per month is granted to the Railway pensioners/Family Pensioners residing in areas beyond 2.5 Kms of Railway Hospital/Health Unit for meeting expenditure on their day-to-day medical expenses that do not require hospitalization.

3. The present rate of Rs.1000 per month is inadequate considering the increased cost of medicine and medical facilities.

4. In para 3.21 of 110th report of the said Committee on “Pensioner’s Grievances-Impact of Pension Adalats and Centralized Pensioners Grievance Redress and Monitoring System (CPENGRAMS)” submitted to Parliament on 10th December 2021, it was recommended that:

“The Committee takes note of the fact that Fixed Medical Allowance is granted to pensioners who reside outside the CGHS areas for meeting expenditure on day-to-day medical expenses (OPD) that do not require hospitalization. The Committee also takes note of the request of Pensioners’ Associations for enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per month as most pensioners are suffering from different diseases at old age and are unable to manage with meagre pension as CGHS hospital is not available in every town. The Committee recommends DoPPW to take up this issue of enhancement of Fixed Medical Allowance with the Finance Ministry as Rs 1000 is a very meagre amount for an old age pensioner and apprise the views of the Finance Ministry to the Committee in its Action Taken Replies”.

5. It is, therefore, requested that Fixed Medical Allowance (FMA) may please be enhanced to Rs.3000 per month.

Yours’ faithfully,

(Harchandan Singh),
General Secretary, RSCWS

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