Retired defence personnel of ranks below havildars and other non-commissioned officers are peeved by the discrimination under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) as per which they are eligible only for admission in general wards of hospitals when admitted for treatment.
In protest against this, M.N. Subramani, ex-Sergeant of Indian Air Force and founder president of Vekare Ex-Servicemen Trust (VKET), espousing the cause of retired soldiers, refused admission in the general ward of a hospital for his open heart surgery and ended up personally bearing the entire cost of his hospitalisation recently.
Old problem
This issue has been raised in the past but is yet to be resolved. As a result retired defence personnel of the rank of havildars and other NCOs continue to be clubbed below Group D employees of the government, who are entitled for admission in semi-special wards based on their last drawn salaries.
Mr. Subramani told The Hindu that it was inconceivable that soldiers of certain ranks on retirement are deemed fit for admission only in general wards in the event of hospitalisation irrespective of their tenure in the forces defending the country while State and Union government employees in Group D category are eligible for better facilities, he said.
The issue is a fallout of the authorities not considering the last drawn grade pay of the ex-servicemen but persisting with the prevalent practice in military hospitals where soldiers are admitted to general, semi-private or private wards on the basis of their ranks only. “While such a practice is fine in a military hospital, the same cannot be extended to empanelled hospitals of ECHS and the last drawn basic pay should be considered – as in case of retired government employees - in case of admittance in private or empanelled hospitals,” said Mr. Subramani.
Fresh debate
The issue has triggered fresh debate in various fora of ex-servicemen. Maj. Gen (retd) Sudhir Vombatkere has written to the Adjutant General of the Indian Army on the subject and the imperatives of upholding the dignity of the soldiers. Mr. Vombatkere pointed out that such disparity affects the dignity and morale of the soldiers.
Mr. Subramani said VKET has received several complaints from the the ECHS members many of whom are foregoing the ECHS benefits and are coughing up money from their pockets for better medical care.
