The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), introduced in 2003 to provide quality healthcare to ex-servicemen and their dependants, has run into rough weather with them facing problems in obtaining medical treatment despite contributing a huge sum and making monthly payments towards medical check-up and treatment.
“The introduction of ECHS was a huge relief to several retired defence personnel. However, the supply of substandard medicines, denial of treatment at referral hospitals and mismanagement of funds are causing problems for us,” M.B. Gopinath, State president, National Ex-servicemen Coordination Committee (NEXCC), told The Hindu.
Protest on Nov.15
NEXCC will stage a protest before the ECHS Regional Centre in Kannur on November 15 to raise various issues affecting retired defence personnel and their dependants.
About 426 polyclinics had been opened across the country as part of the scheme, of which 26 were in Kerala.
“During the time of retirement, an amount of ₹1.20 lakh is deducted from officers, ₹67,000 from Junior Commissioned Officers and ₹30,000 from other rank officials. Besides, an amount of ₹1,000 is getting deducted from the monthly pension for medical expenses,” Mr. Gopinath said.
The amount is being used to meet the expenses of polyclinics, for the payment of doctors and others, and purchase of medicines and payment to referral hospitals.
However, things went wrong after 2016. There were delays in payments to referral hospitals. The lack of medicines and supply of substandard medicines added to the woes of beneficiaries.
Mr. Gopinath alleged that the funds contributed to ECHS were diverted by the Ministry of Defence for another purpose.
Because of the delay in payments, many referral hospitals refused to accept ECHS cases. A study conducted by NEXCC in February this year found that an amount of ₹200 crore was pending to be paid to the referral hospitals in the State alone.
The polyclinics are now referring such cases to military hospitals where there is no specialty treatment. In such cases, ex-servicemen are forced to seek treatment on their own.
Kunhi Kannan Kannoth, a retired army official in Kasaragod, lamented that no medicine was available at polyclinics. “Even if we get medicines, the quality is substandard and we have to purchase the same medicine again from medical shops,” he added.
