Medical
facilities to non-pensioners of the military: Historic day for Short Service
Commissioned Officers, Emergency Commissioned Officers, World War II veterans
and pre-mature retirees
The
Cabinet has today extended the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS)
to the above categories of non-pensioners of the military.
Non-pensioner ‘ex-servicemen’ were initially granted medical facilities in Military Hospitals in 1970 but the same were discretionary. Later, ‘pension’ was made mandatory to avail such facilities. Again in 1997, the term ‘ex-pensioners’ was replaced by ‘ex-servicemen’ thereby restoring the facilities to non-pensioners having ‘ex-servicemen’ status such as Short Service Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (SSCOs and ECOs) who were made entitled to Outpatient (OPD) facilities. However, in the late 2000s, the facilities were withdrawn by the office of the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) despite stiff resistance by the Army HQ.
Non-pensioner ‘ex-servicemen’ were initially granted medical facilities in Military Hospitals in 1970 but the same were discretionary. Later, ‘pension’ was made mandatory to avail such facilities. Again in 1997, the term ‘ex-pensioners’ was replaced by ‘ex-servicemen’ thereby restoring the facilities to non-pensioners having ‘ex-servicemen’ status such as Short Service Commissioned Officers and Emergency Commissioned Officers (SSCOs and ECOs) who were made entitled to Outpatient (OPD) facilities. However, in the late 2000s, the facilities were withdrawn by the office of the Director General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) despite stiff resistance by the Army HQ.
