New Delhi: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said that active engagement of senior citizens and pensioners’ associations was helping the government refine welfare systems and improve service delivery, as representatives from across the country raised issues affecting retirees during the 35th meeting of the Standing Committee of Voluntary Agencies (SCOVA).
Among the concerns flagged at the meeting was the delay in the supply of medicines through the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) wellness centres in Jammu and Kashmir. Pensioners’ representatives said medicines prescribed at the centres often take several days to reach empanelled chemists, leaving elderly beneficiaries without timely access to treatment.
According to the Central Government Pensioners’ Welfare Association of J&K, the supply chain between wellness centres and chemists currently takes at least five days, creating hardship for thousands of pensioners who depend on the scheme for regular medication.
Compounding the problem, empanelled chemists sometimes temporarily shut their shops due to relocation or other logistical issues. “The chemist is going on shifting shops and closing down for 10 days. It affects pensioners and people who depend on these medicines,” a representative said during the discussion.
The issue was raised in the context of broader concerns about the availability of medicine and the functioning of wellness centres under the CGHS framework. Pensioners’ groups from Jammu and Srinagar had earlier flagged delays in medicine supply and staff shortages at the centres as key obstacles to accessing healthcare.
Responding to the concerns, Sateesh YH, Director of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), said the government had revised the tender conditions for medicine suppliers. Under the new system, which will take effect from April 1, medicines must be supplied within two days of prescription; if that deadline is missed, suppliers will be required to deliver the medicines directly to the beneficiary’s home.