From: ANIL HEBLE
Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2010 9:08 AM
Dear Sirs
Well said by Veteran Col Chilimbi.
One only needs to live or know Bombay reasonably to realise the impossibility of veterans and their dependents commuting anywhere, the cummulative costs both in time and money and the personal logistics in support of a day long expedition to the ECHS. No wonder, most find it prudent to seek medical attention on payment.
However, neither are problems of Bombay city or the lack of veteran volunteers to man ECHS centres responsible for near failure of ECHS in delivery of health care to the multitude.
Not one planner in his wisdom was even remotely conscious or aware of the immensity of the scheme, both physical & geographical, not to mention the ununiform numerical presence of entitled veterans in far and obscure corners. Therefore what do veterans of remote areas do ? Must they suffer only because its not "viable" to have a centre in the back & beyond of say Rajasthan or MP? Or must they travel regularly every month to get their 30 days prescriptions ?
In any case the scheme wasn't based on veteran volunteer participation and a few volunteers in Bombay or some other place is no salvation for the rest.
Presently ECHS is on oxygen and has degenerated into a farce with unpaid bills in crores to pharma companies, lack of staff / doctors at centres and above all its positioning in the Government's / Army's thinking process.
Someone please have a look at the quality of medecines given by absolutelu unheard of pharmas. Apparently, new pharma companies have mushroomed only for supply to ECHS and I suspect what we get at best may only be placebo's, if at all.
For starters while ECHS continues to exist for metros and where the bulk live, let someone try and superimpose a set up somthing like ECHS for remote areas by:
1. ECHS could issue all entitled with real SMART CARDS that document each visit, each test, every treatment, medecines issued and any and every entry that will prevent misuse.
2. Negotiate and fix rates for every treatment with civil, private & govt hospitals for provision of health care all all places
3. Clear these bills soonest to keep the system alive
4. Involve insurance companies to deal / supervise payments in their respective jurisdiction. They will ensure that the system isn't corrupted. The rather make the buck that permit someone else.
In this vast country the Min of Def cannot manage an equally vast system. Every type of existing health care delivery system will have to be co-opted with ECHS and yet there would be blind spots which could be fine tuned and as one goes along.
In India no system has yet been found to be fool-proof and will be misused but then it will at least have a chance to function.
Lets accept ECHS can't be flogged any more to get it moving except perhaps in Delhi,
Just a thought. Any comments, Gentlemen ?
Warm regards / Anil heble
