Improve Mental Health: New Guidelines for Government Employees

Indian Government takes a step further to make medical facilities accessible for government employees! The Indian government created the CGHS and CSMA medical programmes to offer complete medical services to its employees, including retired personnel, their dependents, and eligible family members. For those wishing to get medical care under these programmes, new instructions have been established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Here’s What The Guidelines Specify!

The new guidelines allow individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), non-autistic people, children with ADHD, and specific learning disabilities to receive treatment under CGHS for occupational therapy, speech therapy, and ABA-based behavioural therapy.

These individuals may struggle with issues like social anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. These conditions can limit their capacity to function and carry out daily tasks, worsening their mental health problems.

However, these therapies work to reduce sensory issues, improve the decreased social interaction, and challenges with activities of daily living (ADL) that are present at home, at school, and in the community. The purpose? Well, this will increase their level of independence and help them blend in.

So what are these guidelines?

You are in luck if you are a government employee but first, you need to sign up for the programme for you and your family. If you have any health concerns after registering, you can speak with a medical officer. The medical officer will direct you to a hospital with empanelled status if you need to see a specialist or need certain diagnostic testing. This means that if a paediatrician, developmental paediatrician, paediatric neurosurgeon, child and adolescent psychiatrist, or paediatric psychiatrist prescribes a diagnosis. CGHS Empanelled Hospitals or the general public will carry it out.

What about the costs, though? Not to worry, the guidelines also address that. You must abide by the rules in order to be eligible for reimbursement for any medical expenses you incur. Regardless of the type of session, the ceiling rates for these therapies will be Rs 400 per session.

What Does It Mean On A Larger Scale?

These guidelines stress the importance of transparency, accountability, and excellence in healthcare services. Additionally, they emphasise the importance of promoting preventive healthcare practices and implementing digital technologies. You will therefore not only have access to medical care but also acquire long-term health care expertise. The changes are expected to simplify the process of receiving medical care through CGHS and CSMA and enhance the beneficiaries’ holistic healthcare experience.

Overall, the release of new guidelines is a step in the right direction towards ensuring that government employees and their dependents have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare. More people may seek help since it promotes equity and lessens the stigma attached to mental health problems.