New Delhi: Days after the Supreme Court took up hearing of the plight of military officer cadets forced to leave due to disabilities suffered during training at the various academies, the Union government announced that they will be brought under the Ex-Servicemen Health Scheme (ECHS).
A few cadets who enter institutes like the National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Military Academy (IMA) and Officers’ Training Academy (OTA) suffer lifelong disabilities during training. Until now, they were not entitled to ECHS benefits since they are not given ex-servicemen (ESM) status. They were granted an ex-gratia payment for treatment and a disability award, depending upon the nature of the disability (20-100%).
A petition was moved in the Supreme Court, stating that this payment is woefully inadequate, particularly for those who have suffered serious injuries. The Court had ordered the serving of notices on the Ministry of Defence and other respondents, seeking to know why such people cannot be a part of the ECHS.
Instead of fighting a legal battle on the matter, the government has decided to extend health facilities under the ECHS to officer cadets disabled during training. With this move, they will also gain access to capless, cashless healthcare through the ECHS network.
The new decision will cover cadets who have already been medically boarded out before completing training, as well as those who may face similar situations in the future. A government statement said the move was taken on “humanitarian grounds” to reduce the financial and emotional stress faced by families.
These cadets will now be able to access free OPD care at ECHS polyclinics, as well as cashless treatment for OPD, IPD, and investigations in ECHS-empanelled hospitals. The scheme will apply only to the individual cadet, who must accept ECHS rules, and they should not be part of any other government health scheme. Their dependents will not be eligible for such benefits.
Most importantly, the usual one-time subscription fee of Rs 1.2 lakh, charged from ESM officers, will not be levied on these cadets.
Launched in 2003, ECHS provides healthcare to over 63 lakh beneficiaries across the country through 30 regional centres, 448 polyclinics, and more than 3,000 empanelled hospitals.