ECHS needs to do more......................

The ECHS was a well conceived scheme with the objective of providing comprehensive medicare to the Veterans in the evening of their lives. The scheme has indeed benefited a lot of ex-servicemen and their families. It is stating the obvious to say that the govt spends crores of rupees to sustain the scheme as a measure of welfare towards Veterans.

However the scheme like several other newly introduced schemes has its share of shortcomings. If remedial actions are taken to rectify these, I think it will go a long way in making it much more meaningful to the clientele. I have tried to comment upon a few of these shortcomings based purely on my personal observations.

Procedural Simplifications : An ESM on reporting to an ECHS polyclinic is referred to a specialist at an empanelled hospital . The specialist at the empanelled hospital after examining him orders for additional tests like a thyroid function test or an ultrasonogram or a CT scan or a treadmill test. Now the poor old man has to go back to the referring doctor at the polyclinic merely to get a rubberstamp of approval and return back to the specialist at the empanelled hospital. Assuming that the ESM stays in a village 30 kms away from the polyclinic and the empanelled hospital is 50 kms away from the polyclinic, one can well imagine the plight of the old man !! This extra trip could have been avoided had the referring doctor written “referred to the cardiologist xyz Hospital, for appropriate investigations, opinion and treatment“ . Now if this patient is asked to undergo a coronary stenting, he goes back to the polyclinic, where a statement of case is made, forwarded to the SEMO , who is the CO of the nearest MH. After scrutiny by the SEMO, the SOC is forwarded to the Command Hospital for approval by the Cardiologist. I am sure the cardiologist merely affixes his stamp of approval after which the papers find their way back to the same polyclinic where it all began. This entire exercise would have taken full two months. If the old man is lucky to be alive, he gets to undergo the procedure.

This is the delay that is entirely avoidable. In today’s world of fast communications , secure e mail channels, telemedicine, I think such a delay is uncalled for. .I feel a telephonic/ e mail approval followed by the usual channels of “SOCs” without causing undue hardships/ delays to the patient would be more appropriate.

Attitudinal problems : Many of the staff members at the polyclinics are rather rude to the ex- servicemen. This includes some of the doctors also who appear to be disgruntled with the “post – office “ job that they are doing at the polyclinic. Careful selection of doctors and other staff members is important…….. they need to be sensitized to the elderly irritable clientele that they are required to deal with.

A word of caution……….ECHS has been discussed in several blogs wherein a few of our friends in the medical fraternity particularly the younger lot of serving doctors have expressed a view that the Organization is already “overburdened “ with the ECHS….that the Veterans are enjoying the “hospitality” extended by the ECHS and so on….Some of them also portray an impression that they and the ECHS are doing a great favour to the ex-servicemen by giving them treatment.!! Well, these are the irresponsible outbursts from immature minds and ought to be condemned. Perhaps one does not realize the plight of an ex- serviceman until he him selves becomes an ex-serviceman one day !!

Let it be clear….veterans have given their best years to the organization and now they need to be looked after. Nobody is doing a great favour to them by extending medicare…..besides no ex servicemen are interested in falling sick merely to “enjoy the hospitality” of the ECHS !! They need to lead a life of dignity in the evening of their lives !! After all each one of us has to become an ex-serviceman one day…………..