Railway Hospital in Chennai

Chennai Division — 13 railway hospitals & health units

Railway medical care in the Chennai Division

For railway families in Chennai and the surrounding Chennai Division area, medical care comes not from CGHS but from Indian Railways' own network of hospitals and health units. The backbone of the division is the Head Quarters Hospital, Perambur and Divisional Railway Hospital, Arakkonam, which provides in-patient, specialist and emergency care for serving employees, RELHS pensioners and their dependents.

Around these hospitals sit 11 health units — smaller out-patient facilities at Jolarpettai, Katpadi, Hafieldpet, Avadi, Egmore, NGO Colony, Tondiarpet, Royapuram, Tambaram, Chengalpattu, Sullurpet. A health unit is where a railway employee or pensioner goes first for consultations, medicines, dressings and routine check-ups; anything more complex is referred up to the divisional hospital or, where required, to a recognised private hospital under the railway referral system. This tiered structure means most day-to-day medical needs in Chennai are met close to home, while serious cases are escalated to a full hospital.

Using a Chennai railway hospital — the UMID card

To be treated at any of these Chennai facilities, you need the UMID (Unique Medical Identity) card. It is the digital medical card that every railway employee, RELHS pensioner and dependent should hold; the hospital or health unit scans its QR code to instantly confirm your entitlement and pull up your record. If you have not set one up yet, our UMID card guide explains how to apply online at umid.digitalir.in, log in, check status, download the card and add family members. Keeping your family details updated on UMID avoids delays at the counter in Chennai.

After retirement — RELHS in Chennai

Medical cover in the Chennai Division does not stop at retirement. Under RELHS (Railway Employees Liberalised Health Scheme), a railway retiree who pays the one-time subscription — and their eligible family — can continue to use these same Chennai railway hospitals and health units for life. Family pensioners and widows are covered too. Read the details in our RELHS guide, and see all railway employee benefits — including the Railway Privilege Pass — on the railway benefits hub. For pay, allowances and pension, railway staff can use every calculator on the CG Seva homepage.