IREC Rule No.554: Hospital Leave
554. Hospital Leave:-
(1) Hospital leave may be granted to railway servants other than in Group ‘A’ or Group ‘B’, while under medical treatment for illness or injuries if such illness or injury is directly due to risks incurred in the course of official duties.
(2) Hospital leave shall be granted on production of medical certificate from an Authorized Medical Attendant.
(3) (a) Hospital leave may be granted for such period as the authority granting it may consider necessary on leave salary–
(i) Equal to leave salary while on leave on average pay for the first 120 days of any period of such leave; and
(ii) Equal to leave salary during half pay leave for the remaining period of any such leave.
(b) The amount of hospital leave which may be granted by the General Managers to railway servants is unlimited.
(4) Hospital leave shall not be debited against the leave account and may be combined with any other kind of leave which may be admissible, provided the total period of leave, after such combination, does not exceed 28 months.
Note: If the railway servant is one to whom the Workmen’s Compensation Act 1923 (18 of 1923) applies the amount of leave-salary payable during Hospital Leave shall be reduced by the amount of compensation payable under Section 4(1)(d) of the said Act When a disablement regarded at first as temporary, proves to be a permanent disablement and compensation becomes payable under clause (b) or (c) of Section 4(1) of the Workmen’s Compensation Act, the hospital leave-salary should be restored to the full amount admissible under the above rule.
President’s Decision-1:-
General Managers are empowered to relax the provisions of this rule in individual cases meriting sanction of Hospital leave beyond a period of 120 days on leave salary equal to leave salary while on leave on average pay. Such cases are to be reviewed by the CMO personally and entered in a register to be maintained by CMO so that at any time the extant of the problem can be checked. Also, such cases are to be put up to the FA & CAO for his concurrence before these are put up to the General Manager for sanction. These powers are to be exercised personally by the General Managers and are not to be delegated further.
President’s Decision-2:-
Divisional Rail Managers (DRMs) / Chief Workshop Engineers (CWEs) are empowered to relax the provisions of Rule 554-R.I, 1985 edition, in individual cases, meriting sanction of Hospital leave beyond a period of 120 days on leave salary equal to leave salary while on leave on average pay, subject to such cases being reviewed by the Medical Superintendents and concurred in by Senior Divisional Accounts Officer/Associate Accounts Officer. Also, a list of such cases should be put up to the General Managers half yearly for their post-facto approval. These powers are to be exercised personally by the DRMs / DWEs and are not be delegated further. It has also been decided that cases that occurred during the intervening period, i.e. from 1985 onwards, where the Railways have already sanctioned Hospital Leave for periods beyond 120 days on leave salary equal to leave salary while on leave on average pay, need not be reopened.
President’s Decision-3:-
It has been further decided that the Heads of non-divisional units, such as Workshops, Stores, Depots, Zonal training Centers, etc., in the Junior Administrative Grade/Selection Grade are also empowered to sanction Hospital Leave beyond a period of 120 days in relaxation of the provisions of Rule 554/R-I, 1985 edition in individual cases meriting sanction of Hospital Leave beyond a period of 120 days on leave salary equal to leave salary while on leave on average pay. Where the heads of such non-divisional units are in lower than JA grade, all cases of grant of Hospital Leave beyond a period of 120 days in relaxation of the provisions quoted above should be put up to the controlling SAG officer for sanction. The grant of Hospital Leave beyond 120 days in relaxation of the rules mentioned above in all cases shall however be subject to such cases being reviewed by the Medical Superintendents and concurred in by Senior Divisional Accounts Officer / Associate Accounts Officer. Further’s as already stipulated in Board’s letter of even number dated 14.01.1993, a list of all such cases should be put up to the General Managers half-yearly for their post facto approval. Papers to General Managers should be routed though the controlling SAG officers. It may also be ensured that payment against Hospital Leave whenever due is made regularly and not allowed to pend.
President’s Decision-4:-
It has been decided that such cases of railway servants injured on duty during the intervening period from 1985 to 14.01.1993 and where Hospital Leave was not granted beyond 120 days on full average pay may be reviewed by the Railways, and accordingly leave should be regularized, by the General Manager as Hospital Leave beyond 120 days on full average pay in terms of extant orders on the merit of each case for the intervening period from 1985 to 14.01.1993.
The old cases will be regularized with the personal sanction of the General Manager with concurrence of the FA & CAO.
[Authority: RBE No. /1996, No.E(P&A)I-96/JCM/DC-1, 31.07.1996]
Omitted.
Forward reference RBE No. 64/2019