RBE No. 58/2016: Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA) & Patient Care Allowance (PCA)

No.E(P&A)II-98/HW-6/Vol.III, dated 02.06.2016

Sub: Grant of Hospital Patient Care Allowance (HPCA) & Patient Care Allowance (PCA) to Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ (non-ministerial) Railway employees working in Railway Hospitals & Health Units/Clinics.
Ref: PNM/AIRF Item No. 7/2010, PNM/NFIR Item No. 12/2015.

1. Hospital Patient Care Allowance/ Patient Care Allowance was introduced on the Railways in terms Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-98/HW-6 dated 09.01.2008 (RBE No. 01/2008). Further, the rates of HPCA/ PCA were revised as per Board’s letter No.E(P&A)I-2013/AL-3, dated 20.02.2013 (RBE No. 15/2013). Dental Hygienists and Physiotherapists/ Occupational Therapists were also made eligible for HPCA/ PCA vide Board’s letters E(P&A)II-98/HW-6 Vol. III, dated 31.07.2015 (RBE No. 87/2015) on the terms and conditions mentioned therein.
2. Consequent to the directions made by the Hon‘ble CAT/Delhi in its order dt. 16.7.2015 in OA No. 974/2013, an expert committee was constituted to find out whether the duties & responsibilities of the applicants involve continuous & routine contacts with communicable diseases & handling infected materials, instruments, which can spread infection & thereafter would take final decision regarding their entitlement to HPCA/ PCA/ Risk Allowance. The applicants in this case were kitchen staff working in the Northern Railway Central Hospital, New Delhi. The recognized Federations have also been demanding for the admissibility of HPCA/ PCA to the Kitchen Staff.
3. The expert committee has submitted its recommendations and it has been considered by the Board and accordingly it has been decided to include the following category of Kitchen Staff in the list of eligible categories of Group ‘C’ and ‘D’ (non-ministerial) for the grant of HPCA/ PCA w.e.f. the date of issue of this letter:

(i) Masalchis & Cookmates;
(ii) Cooks where no separate Masalchi/ Cookmates is provided and the cooks are required to clean the utensils or serve food where bearers are not provided.

4. Other terms and conditions would remain the same as per Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-98/HW-6, dated 09.01.2008 (RBE No. 01/2008) and Board’s letter No.E(P&A)II-2013/AL-3, dated 20.02.2013 (RBE No. 15/2013).
5. This issues with the concurrence of Finance Directorate of the Ministry of Railways.

Download Railway Board Circular RBE No. 58/2016

Forward reference ⇒ RBE No.