Government Approves Massive Expansion of Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme
To provide equitable treatment to all eligible Ex-Servicemen and their dependents under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) and to enhance the scheme’s coverage, the Union Cabinet today approved Establishment of 199 new polyclinics including 17 mobile medical facilities and 15 new regional centres at a cost of Rs. 141 crores. With this, the ECHS facility will now be extended to those areas, where Ex-Servicemen population is below 2,500 by setting up polyclinics which are within reasonable distance from Ex-Servicemen concentrations.
The Cabinet also approved reorganization and strengthening the Central Organisation ECHS by suitably increasing the manpower. It has authorized additional manpower – 2263 in number on contractual basis, to man the additional 199 polyclinics. It has also authorized 315 serving personnel – 60 officers and 255 PBORs, for proposed regional centres and seven officers and 15 PBORs for Central Organisation ECHS.
Financial implications towards creation of infrastructure will be about Rs.141 crore. This will entail a capital expenditure of Rs. 118.52 crore towards cost of land, construction and medical equipment. An amount of Rs. 22.25 crore of expenditure will cover purchase of furniture etc, and IT hardware. On the recurring side, an expenditure of Rs.43 crore per annum is envisaged.
It may be recalled that the ECHS was introduced on April 01, 2003 to provide comprehensive medical coverage to Ex-Servicemen pensioners, war widows and dependents by establishing 227 polyclinics at stations with Ex-Servicemen population above 2500 throughout the country. 106 polyclinics are at military stations and 121 polyclinics are at non-military stations. Where the Ex-Servicemen population is less than 2,500, the Ex-Servicemen face hardships in reaching polyclinics because of the distance.
There are over 30 lakh ECHS beneficiaries now. On an average 60,000 Servicemen retire every year and this results in a further addition of 60,000 Ex-Servicemen and 1,44,000 dependents to the list of beneficiaries each year. Over 7 lakh Ex-Servicemen, who retired prior to April 01, 2003 have not opted for the scheme primarily due to non-availability of polyclinics near their places of residence. There are also insufficient number of regional centres to monitor the polyclinics
Following is the list of additional polyclinics planned to be established:-
Jammu & Kashmir
Baramulla, Doda, Poonch, Baribrahmna (Jammu), Kargil, Nagrota (Kathua)
Himachal Pradesh
Rampur (Shimla), Nahan (Sirmaur), Shahpur (Kangra), Palampur (Kangra), Kullu, Dera Goppipur (Kangra), Jogindernagar (Mandi), Chamba, Ghumarwin (Bilaspur), Sarakaghat (Mandi), Barsar (Hamirpur),
Punjab
Mohali, Ajnala (Amritsar), Tarantaran (Amritsar), Beas (Amritsar), Nawansahar, Suranassi (Jalandhar), Uchi Bassi (Hoshiarpur), Abohar (Ferozpur), Jagraon (Ludhiana), Batala (Gurdaspur), Srigovindpur (Gurdaspur), Sultanpur Lodhi (Kapurthala), Phagwara (Kapurthala), Samana (Patiala), Barnala (Sangrur), Nabha (Patiala), Doraha (Ludhiana), Samarala (Ludhiana), Mahalpur (Hoshiarpur), Talwara (Hoshiarpur)
Haryana
Gohana (Sonepat), Mehan (Rohtak), Sampla (Rohtak), Loharu (Bhiwani), Kosli (Jhajjar), Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), Gurgaon, Nuh (Gurgaon), Charki Dadri (Bhiwani), Mahendragarh, Narwana (Jind), Palwal (Faridabad), Hansi (Hissar), Dharuhera (Rewari), Narayangarh (Ambala), Kharkhauda (Sonepat)
National Capital Territory of Delhi
Shakurbasti, Timarpur, Khanpur, Preetvihar
Rajasthan
Neem Ka Thana (Sikar), Shergarh (Jodhpur), Dausa, Sanganer (Jaipur), Bhuwana (Jhunjhunu), Bhilwara, Suratgarh (Hanumangarh), Dungarpur, Rajsamand, Rajgarh (Churu), Chirawa (Jhunjhunu), Behror (Alwar)
Uttar Pradesh
Bagpat, Gonda, Basti, Jaunpur, Greater Noida (GB Nagar), Lakhimpur, Moradabad, Bijnaur, Rampur, Hardoi, Banda, Roberts Ganj (Mirzapur), Barabanki, Unnao, Hathras
Uttarakhand
Joshimath (Chamoli), Dehradun, Vikas Nagar (Dehradun), Tehri, Rudraprayag, Ranikhet, Almora, Bageshwar, Banbasa (Champavat), Rudrapur (Udham Singh nagar), Dharchula (Pithoragarh), Lansdowne (Paurigarhwal), Uttarkashi, Ramnagar (Nainital)
Bihar
Bhagalpur, Kathiar, Motihari, Siwan, Samastipur, Madhubani, Buxar, Vaishali, Sasaram (Rohtas) Khagaria, Munger, Sitamarhi
Jharkhand
Deoghar, Gumla, Chaibasa (West Singhbhoom), Daltonganj (Palamu), Dhanbad
Madhya Pradesh
Satna, Ujjain, Amla (East Nimar), Pachmarhi (Hoshangabad)
Chhattisgarh
Jagdalpur (Bastar), Bilaspur, Raigarh
West Bengal
Berhampore (Murshidabad), Baruipur (South 24 Pargana), Bankura, Howrah, Raiganj (North Dinajpur), Cooch Behar, Kalimpong (Darjeeling), Binaguri (Jalpaiguri)
Assam
Lanka (Naugaon), Bongaigaon, Tinsukia, Tezpur (Sonitpur), Misamari (Darrang), Dibrugarh, Goalpara, Dhubri, Lakhimpur
Manipur
Chura Chandpur
Nagaland
Mokokchung
Mizoram
Lunglei
Arunachal Pradesh
Tezu (Lohit), Along (West Siang)
Orissa
Puri, Sambalpur, Koraput, Angul, Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi), Dhenkanal
Andhra Pradesh
Srikakulam, Anantapur, Karnool, Cuddapah, Nellore, Karimnagar, Eluru (West Godavari), Secunderabad (Rangareddy), Khammam, Mehbubnagar
Tamil Nadu
Erode, Sivagangai (Sivaganga), Kumbhkonum (Tiruvallur), Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Tambram (Kanchipuram)
Kerala
Mavelikara (Alleppey), Kanhangad (Kasargode), Kalpetta (Wayanad), Thodupuzha (Idukki), Thiruvananthapuram, Changanacherry (Kottayam), Moovattupuzha (Ernakulum), Iritti (Kannur), Kunnamkulum (Trichur), Kottarakara (Kollam), Ranni (Pathanamthitta), Killimanur (Thiruvananthapuram)
Karnataka
Kolar, Tumkur, Hassan, Shimoga, Bangalore, Gulbarga, Bidar, Virarajendrapet (Kodagu)
Maharastra
Beed, Nanded, Karad (Satara), Wardha, Navi Mumbai (Mumbai), Pune, Khadki (Pune), Yavatmal, Dhule.
Goa
Vasco – Da – Gama
Gujarat
Gandhidham, Surat, Rajkot
Puduchery
Pudduchery
In addition to these polyclinics 15 regional centres will also be set up at Shimla, Jalandhar, Dehradun, Ambala, Hissar, Meerut, Allahabad, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Nagpur, Vizag, Bangalore, Coimbatore & Trivandrum
Ex Sub(Clk) Bir Singh says
Dear Sir,
I am working in Tripura since 2002. During travel, I have lost my ECHS smart Card which was not yet activated. I have lodged a FIR and fulfilled all the relevant formalities for issue of duplicate samart card throgh ECHS Cell Station Headquarters, Agartala, Tripura. When I was in need of treatment, OIC Polyclinic, Agartala directed me to obtain temporary attacment certificate from Polyclinic Pathankot, which is my parent poly clinic. I have sent a formal request to OIC Poly Clinic Pathankot for issue of temporary attachment certificate giving all the details that I have lost my smart card and I have already applied through Station HQ, Agartala. Instead, OIC Poly Clinic informed me to apply through HQ 21 Sub Area, Pathankot. I got few days leave and went to Pathankot and met OIC Poly Clinic, who state way denied to issue me temporary attachment certificate as I have applied through Stn HQ Agartala. At the time of loss, I have informed Stn HQ Pathankot. Being serving very far away from my home town, i.e. Pathankot, it is not possible for me to visit pathankot for submitting of my application for issue of new smart card. It is totally a harrassment to ex-servicemen who are serving far away from their homes to avail ECHS facilities. OIC never want to listen our request or fact of the case just to blame the ex-servicemen for their ignorance. As we are no longer in the army and we don’t know the latest procedure etc. Instead of extending their helping hand, OIC just blaming the ex-servicemen for not followng the procedures. I have not yet received my ECHS Smart Card and I am not getting any medical facilities from the nearest poly clinic. Polynic Clinic Agartal don’t want to provide me medical facilities whereas my parent poly Clinic don’t want to issue me temporary attacment certificate till receipt of my new Smart Card. Got. has appointed OIC to facilitate the ex-servicemen and not to harrass them. I have spent Rs. 4000/- to visit my home town to get temporary attachment certificate, but all in vain, as OIC Pathankot has not issued me attachment certificate. Tell me where to go for help. Ex-servicemen and their families who are stay far away from the parent Poly Clinic for earning their livelihood are suffering a lot as they are not being attended by the Poly Clinics nearest to the place of work or present living stations.
Issue of ECHS Smart Card having valaididty all over India should be issued to all and till then, OIC Poly Clinic may please be advised to attend the ex-servicemen and their families who are residing far away from their parent poly clinic.
Thanks & Regards,
Bir Singh
H R Singha says
The ECHS card should be validited all India basis.This present card is useless in case of you are at out stations.