Dissatisfied over the non-functioning of the Central Council of Research in Siddha (CCRS) headquartered in Chennai, the research officers and group 1V employees of the Council are planning to approach the union health minister requesting him to shift the office of the CCRS to the national capital.
They allege that since the HQ office is located in Chennai they are losing the benefits of all health schemes implemented for central government employees.
Except for Siddha, the national offices of ayurveda, unani, homeo and yoga are functioning in New Delhi and the staff at these offices are getting all the benefits of the health schemes. They complain that they are deprived of the essential benefits only because of the location of HQ away from New Delhi.
The benefits are unavailable not only to the employees of CCRS (both retired and serving), but also to those in the regional units of the Central Council of Research in Ayurveda Sciences, Central Council of Research in Unani Medicine and Central Council of Research in Homoeopathy working in Chennai and in other cities outside Delhi.
According to them the schemes benefit only the employees working in New Delhi. They claim that had the head quarter of the CCRS established in New Delhi, they would have also been covered under the health schemes.
While speaking to Pharmabiz, research officers and other technical staff said that since they are not able to raise voice against the alleged injustice after the bifurcation of CCRAS in 2010, they remain silent over the issues. They said the employees altogether will submit a memorandum to the union government requesting to shift the central office of the siddha council to New Delhi.
To a question, an officer on condition of anonymity said this discrepancy was brought to the notice of the department of Ayush and to the director generals of the Councils several times, but no action was taken so far.
The government of India had implemented the scheme in 1970 to provide healthcare benefits to the serving and retired employees in the central services and autonomous bodies. The benefits can also be claimed by the members of their families and provided through CGHS dispensaries called wellness centres. As per their report 19 wellness centres are functioning in various places in the country. The scheme also covers parliamentarians, judges of supreme court, high courts and all India service officers.
In cities where the wellness centres do not exist there is a provision for reimbursement for treatment as per norms fixed by director general of CGHS. These include hospitalization charges and nursing charges. Patients require major tests, treatments, and surgeries are referred by the physicians attached to the wellness centre to the identified hospitals enrolled in the scheme. This facility is extended to employees of autonomous councils like Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and also to employees working in the head quarters of research councils under the department of Ayush and their units operating in Delhi.
The employees and research officers at the CCRS demand that the benefits extended to the employees working at the HQ of the councils in New Delhi should be extended to the employees working in the regional centres located in various states.
The wellness centres in Chennai are located at Avadi, K K Nagar, Anna Nagar, Adyar and Gopalapuram.