The defence ministry of India has sanctioned the grant of medical facilities under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to officer cadets who get discharged from training on medical grounds due to causes "attributable to or aggravated" by military training. However, the ECHS facility would be available only to the individuals concerned, as per the communication issued on Friday by the Department of Ex-Servicemen Welfare (DESW) of the Ministry of Defence.
The move has come as a big relief for those people who have been struggling with the aftermath of being boarded out of military institutions over the last few decades, and many of them have also faced mounting medical bills. The boarded-out cadets have been seeking the status of ex-servicemen for a long time.
With this approval, these cadets will now be eligible to avail "cashless and capless healthcare facilities" under the ECHS, the ministry said.
"I am directed to convey the sanction of the competent authority for the grant of medical facilities under Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) to officer cadets who are invalidated from training on medical grounds due to causes attributable to or aggravated by military training," the communication reads.
Also, the one-time subscription fee (i.e. Rs 1.20 lakh currently applicable to ESM officers) will not be charged from the officer cadets towards joining the ECHS scheme, it said.
However, the facilities are subject to certain conditions. These cadets need to apply for membership in ECHS and accept ECHS rules, and they should not be members of any other government health scheme.
What’s in for the cadets?
With this move, the officer cadets will be entitled to avail free OPD services at ECHS polyclinics, as well as cashless OPD or IPD investigations at ECHS-empanelled hospitals, as per the communication.
It, however, mentions that this sanction is being granted as a "special dispensation and shall not be quoted as a precedent". The official communication has been addressed to the three Service chiefs and the Chief of the Defence Staff.
Later in the day, the ministry issued a statement, saying cadets who join prestigious institutions like the NDA (National Defence Academy), OTA (Officers Training Academy) and IMA (Indian Military Academy) with the aspiration to serve the nation, "often suffer life-long disabilities, but are currently not eligible for ECHS as they are not granted ex-servicemen (ESM) status".
"Reaffirming its commitment to the dignity and well-being of the armed forces", the government has approved the extension of ECHS facilities to officer cadets who are "invalidated from training on medical grounds attributable to or aggravated by military training," it said.
This measure is applicable to cadets who have been medically boarded out "prior to completion of training" and is also extendable to future similar cases, the government said.
"Considering the humanitarian nature and financial burden on families, the government has approved quality medical care for such cadets without creating a precedent for other categories," it said.
While a small number of cadets annually are affected, the financial and emotional burden on their families is significant. In such instances, the practice is to extend a monthly ex gratia payment to such cadets, officials said. In addition, based on the extent of disability (20 per cent to 100 per cent), a monthly ex gratia disability award is also made available to such cadets.
The ECHS was launched with effect from April 1, 2003. The scheme aims to provide allopathic and Ayush medicare to ex-servicemen pensioner and their dependents through a network of ECHS polyclinics, service medical facilities, government hospitals, empanelled private hospitals, or specified government Ayush hospitals spread across the country, according to the DESW website.
It has 30 regional centres and 448 polyclinics across India with a total beneficiary base of approximately 63 lakh. It has over 3,000 empanelled healthcare organisations under its network, according to the ministry.
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