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New Delhi, May 7
The Ministry of Defence has come down heavily on the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) that is designed to cater to the medical needs of retired soldiers and their families.
The MoD, in a statement, said the denial of medical support to the veterans in these testing times raised several questions regarding the efficacy of the scheme. “The armed forces will have to take a hard look on this issue to identify fail-safe options for the future,” it said. Set up in 2003, the ECHS was to provide quality medical care to veterans and their families because of the limited capacity of the military hospitals. During the Covid surge, most veterans were denied admissions under the ECHS and empanelled hospitals, which had increased their dependence on the already-stressed military hospitals, said the MoD. — TNS