CJ can now okay judges’ medical reimbursements

Mumbai: State government has given the power to the Chief Justice of the high court to sanction reimbursements of medical bills of high court judges and their families irrespective of amount. Earlier, this power lay with the high power committee under chairmanship of the public health secretary for more than  Rs 1 lakh per annum.. The group medical insurance cover for judges and their family also increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

All high court judges and their families are getting their medical expenses covered. 27 emergency and 5 serious diseases are already covered under medical insurance. The bills that were more than Rs 1 lakh per annum were needed to be sent to the state government’s high power committee of the secretary for sanction. “This was time consuming and it delayed payments. To avoid this, now all the powers of sanctioning medical bills of judges and their families have been given to the chief justice,” an official said.

Judges and their family also have the facility of group medical insurance cover. Earlier the limit was Rs 5 lakh but after taking review of the expenses required for treatment in good hospitals, that insurance cover has been doubled. Now judges will have an insurance cover of  Rs 10 lakh. Public health deputy secretary, S.R. More has issued orders in this regard.