Senior citizens and retired personnel who have worked in Central Government bodies are assured of their health care needs through the Central Government Health Scheme or CGHS. This scheme for pensioners provides medical assistance to retired central government officials along with their dependents, freedom fighters and widows of government officials. The CGHS Scheme also covers Delhi police personnel, retired judges of the Supreme Court, Parliament secretaries and their families.

Moreover, along with Ex–Governors and Ex–Vice Presidents of India, accredited journalists are also eligible to be covered under the Central Government’s Health Scheme. The Central Government Health Scheme initially started functioning in Delhi. After a few years, it spread to cities such as Allahabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Patna.

The Central Government Health Scheme offers health services through Allopathic and Homeopathic systems as well as through traditional Indian forms of medicine such as Ayurveda, Unani, Yoga and Siddha. These medical facilities are provided through dispensaries and polyclinics. Chief medical officers and medical officers operate these dispensaries and are responsible for the smooth functioning of the scheme.

The main components of the scheme are dispensary services including domiciliary care, specialist consultation facilities, X–ray, Electro Cardiogram (ECG), laboratory testing, hospitalization, purchase and distribution of medicines and provision of health education. Here is a list of private hospitals and diagnostic centres recognized under the Central Government Health Scheme.