In a major relief to central government employees and pensioners, the Supreme Court has said that a government employee cannot be denied Mediclaim just because he/she chose a private hospital for treatment during an emergency. The court in its verdict on Saturday said that an employee or a pensioner cannot be denied their share of Mediclaim even for receiving treatment outside CGHS-empanelled hospitals.
A bench comprising R K Agrawal and Ashok Bhushan said that the right to medical claim merely because of the name of the hospital is not included in the government order.
The court said the government will have to verify that the claim being made by an employee or pensioner is in the record of certified doctor or hospital or not. It can also verify if the employee or pensioner concerned have actually taken treatment or not. Based on these facts, an employee or a pensioner can be denied or granted Mediclaim, it said.
The apex court order came on a petition filed by a retired central government official who had sought treatment from two private hospitals and demanded the reimbursement of medical bills.
