BHUBANESWAR: The Union government has approved the establishment of a new Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) Wellness Centre in Sambalpur, providing much-needed healthcare access to central government employees and pensioners in the region.
The development was communicated by Union Health minister JP Nadda in a letter to Union Education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, following the latter’s request for setting up of a CGHS facility in the western Odisha city.
Pradhan had written to the Health minister on September 8, 2025, highlighting the urgent need for a CGHS health and wellness centre in Sambalpur. He had pointed out that the city hosts several central government institutions including BSNL, the department of posts, the Income Tax department, East Coast Railway, the Central Excise department, the CRPF group centre, the Indian Institute of Management and Kendriya Vidyalayas.
Since a large number of serving employees and retired pensioners of these institutions reside in the region, absence of a CGHS facility in Sambalpur forced them to travel nearly 300 km to cities such as Bhubaneswar, Cuttack or Berhampur to access medical services, causing significant inconvenience, particularly for elderly pensioners, Pradhan had written in his letter.
In his reply, Nadda infomed that all necessary approval for setting up the CGHS centre in Sambalpur have been granted. The proposal of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for creation of required posts and related administrative arrangements has also received approval of the Ministry of Finance. The sanctioned posts include medical officer, nursing officer, pharmacist and junior health administrative assistant, among others, Nadda said.
Until the centre becomes fully operational, CGHS pensioners in Sambalpur will continue to avail services from the nearest CGHS cities, while serving employees will remain covered under the Central Services (Medical Attendance) Rules. Key provisions include free treatment at government/recognised hospitals, reimbursement for authorised medical attendant (AMA) consultations and allowances for specialised care for central government employees and their families.
Welcoming the decision, Pradhan expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Health minister JP Nadda for approving the facility.