AIIMS planning home delivery of medicines to retired staff

In a first, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will ensure home delivery of the prescribed medicines to its retired employees who stay far away from Delhi-NCR. To make the plan operational, the institute has asked concerned officials to explore the feasibility of providing tele-consultation services to the ex-employees so that e-prescriptions can be generated for the medicines. 

If implemented, AIIMS, Delhi will become the first medical institute to ensure home delivery of medicines to its retired workforce, officials said. AIIMS, Delhi has also decided to seek permission from the health ministry to enroll their outstation retired employees to get health benefits under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS).

The institute has also decided to increase the period during which the retired employees could avail medicines from the hospital. The retired employees will now be able to get the medicines for up to 6 months. Earlier, they were allowed to take the prescribed drugs for a maximum period of 3 months.

The series of welfare measures are aimed to give relief to the ex-employees who face difficulty in accessing the hospital due to age, distance, or suffering from a chronic ailment, the doctors said. “For (ex-employees) living in the far off area, even if they come, the process is so slow that it takes days to get the medicine since the queue is long and the window to get the consultation and the medicine is very less on a given day,” an official said.

“The decisions will give them big relief. Especially if the government allows their treatment and medication under the CGHS. This will enable them to receive healthcare services near their place of residence. They won’t be required to stay in Delhi just to get the medicines,” the official added.

AIIMS runs Employee Health Scheme (EHS) for its employees which covers their treatment and medication by the institute itself. Currently, the employees who are registered under EHS are not covered under other health insurance programs of the Centre.

Ease of life

• Retired staff are to get medicine for up to 6 months
• Currently, ex-employees get prescribed drugs for 3 months
• To help those who find it difficult in accessing the hospital due to their age, distance or chronic illness
• To seek permission from the health ministry to enrol their outstation retirees under CGHS
• AIIMS runs an Employee Health Scheme for its employees, under which treatment & medication are taken care of by the institute itself