22 ECHS polyclinics in HP, medical cover extended to invalidated officer cadets: Minister

Shimla: Twenty-two Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinics are currently operational across Himachal Pradesh, known for its significant contribution to the armed forces.Medical facilities under the ECHS are now being granted to officer cadets who are invalidated from their training on medical grounds attributable to or aggravated by military training, Union minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth said in the Lok Sabha on Friday.Seth further said all defence pensioners who fulfilled the eligibility criteria of being ex-servicemen, including those of the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force, along with their dependents, were eligible to avail services under the ECHS scheme.These ECHS polyclinics have been established in 10 out of the total 12 districts of the hill state, barring Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti.Kangra district has four ECHS polyclinics, followed by three each in Hamirpur and Mandi districts. Two polyclinics each are functional in Bilaspur, Shimla, Solan, Chamba and Una, while Sirmaur and Kullu have one polyclinic each. Recently, three new polyclinics became operational at Bhoranj in Hamirpur, Nalagarh in Solan, and Gagret in Una district.Meanwhile, in response to a question by Hamirpur MP Anurag Thakur, the Union minister said there were a total of 117 canteen stores department (CSD) canteens functional in the hill state. All serving and retired armed forces personnel, irrespective of their service, are entitled to CSD facilities.The norms for opening a unit run canteen (URC) require a minimum of 5,000 ex-servicemen in a district or tehsil. For an extension counter, at least 2,500 ex-servicemen are needed. Additionally, the nearest URC should be more than 50 km away in plains and 30 km away in hilly areas from the proposed site. Over the last five years, nine new ex-servicemen URCs or extension counters were sanctioned in Himachal Pradesh, said Seth.The highest number of 31 URCs are in Kangra district, followed by 15 in Shimla district, 13 each in Hamirpur and Mandi districts, eight each in Kullu and Kinnaur districts, seven each in Bilaspur and Solan districts, five each in Chamba and Lahaul-Spiti districts, three in Sirmaur and two in Una district.ECHS facility extended (Box)In August last year, the central govt had approved extending ECHS polyclinic benefits to officer cadets medically invalidated from training due to disabilities attributable to or aggravated by military training. The decision covers cadets boarded out before completing training and applies to future similar cases.Earlier, cadets from the National Defence Academy (NDA), Officers Training Academy (OTA), and Indian Military Academy (IMA) were not eligible for the ECHS if they suffered lifelong disabilities as they lacked ex-servicemen status. Recognising the humanitarian concerns and financial strain on families, the central govt ensured quality medical care for affected cadets without setting a precedent for other categories.MSID:: 128303803 413 |