Defence ministry delays hospital dues, forces naval widow to stop cancer treatment

Panaji: A 73-year-old widow of a naval officer, battling cancer, is now fighting another faceless ailment: the bureaucratic delay in clearing medical bills. With the suspension of cashless treatment at Goa’s only Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS)-empanelled hospital entering its second month, the lady, Sanjukta Misra, is now forced to give up her cancer treatment.Unable to pay Rs 2 lakh for each dose of chemotherapy and immunotherapy every fortnight, Misra is now counting on the mercy of the defence ministry to help clear the bills.“In 2025, my chemotherapy treatment was interrupted three times. The third time my chemo and immunotherapy stopped was in Nov, and we thought that the issue would be resolved in 15-20 days. My last dose of chemo is pending since Nov, and immunotherapy has to continue for a year. If my treatment is stopped, how will I survive?” Misra said to TOI.Misra’s husband, who retired from the Indian Navy after serving at the naval headquarters in Delhi, died two decades ago. The lady now lives alone in Chicalim’s Jairam Nagar and is unable to travel to Mumbai to continue her treatment. Relying on the promise of the defence ministry’s ECHS scheme, the family never invested in medical insurance.Over 10,000 ex-servicemen and their families who settled in Goa and neighbouring districts were left in the lurch following the decision by Manipal Hospitals, the state’s only multispecialty ECHS-empanelled hospital, to stop cashless treatment services.The private hospital halted services on Nov 30, citing non-payment of long-pending bills by the ECHS, which accumulated to Rs 5.2 crore. Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Arun Prakash (retd) repeatedly flagged this “breach of trust” by the MoD babus.“A month ago, medicare for veterans by ECHS-empanelled hospitals was suspended for non-payment of dues by MoD. This is a vital issue,” said Prakash.The delay in clearing the funds was highlighted by South Goa MP Captain (retd) Viriato Fernandes in Parliament and before the defence standing committee, but the defence ministry maintained a deathly silence, say veterans.“I saw 100s of cancer patients who are dependent on the treatment. It is quite costly. In Goa, there is only 1 hospital and we depend on it. I see people from the Air Force and Army who are coming from Sindhudurg, Belagavi and Karwar for treatment,” said Misra.She says that the abrupt halt in cashless medical treatment is akin to targeting ex-servicemen and their families.“The hospital stopped providing its services to the veterans on account of the non-payment of its past dues by central govt. Obviously, this is causing immense hardships to aged veterans who are being denied their right to medical care in the evening of their lives, despite paying their individual contributions for enrolment in the scheme,” said Colonel Shivaji Ranjan Ghosh (retd).Prakash, who has diabetes, was told by the hospital that funds for his diabetes medicines were not disbursed by the defence ministry.