Defence accounts directed to clear ECHS bills on priority

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 31

Even as government offices are functioning on skeletal staff amid the lockdown to check the Covid spread, defence accounts establishments across the country have been directed to clear all payments related to medical treatment under the Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) at the earliest so that the allocated budget for the current fiscal gets fully utilised.

According to the orders issued by the Controller General of Defence Accounts on March 30, all subordinate offices have been directed to ensure that all payments related to ECHS are cleared on priority and under no circumstances the allocated funds should be allowed to lapse.

According to sources, the funds allocated under the head for medical treatment were Rs 5,199 crore, out of which an expenditure of Rs 4,478 crore has been booked so far. This leaves the organisation with Rs 721 crore that is still be expended.

Earlier this month, the Ministry of Defence had stated in Parliament that ECHS, which provides medical facilities to about 55 lakh beneficiaries, owes Rs 1,246 crore to various private hospitals and diagnostic facilities for providing treatment to retired service personnel and their dependents. Low budgetary allocation by the Central government has been a major issue for ECHS for the past few years.

Several advisories have also been issued by ECHS authorities to its subscribers to help combat Covid and a few relief measures have been put in place to alleviate any difficulty faced by them.

As many as 52 centres have been identified by ECHS for Covid testing, which includes two each in Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh and one in Chandigarh, sources said. ECHS subscribers have also been allowed to purchase prescription medicines from any chemist, for which they would be reimbursed later.