VASCO
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant along with Vasco MLA Krishna Daji Salkar met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to take up the long-pending issue of unpaid medical bills and inadequate healthcare facilities faced by Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) beneficiaries in Goa.
The matter was raised following complaints from the United Veterans Association, which had flagged serious service gaps affecting ex-servicemen and their families.
The issue came up during a function held at Goa Shipyard Limited, where the Defence Minister acknowledged the concerns and assured that the problem would be addressed on priority. He stated that steps would be taken to resolve the issue at the earliest, offering relief to ECHS beneficiaries across the State.
Speaking to reporters, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that certain payments to Manipal Hospital were pending and that he had been following up on the matter consistently. He said he again took up the issue with the Defence Minister along with a detailed representation prepared by Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar.
“The Defence Minister has personally assured me that the pending payments will be cleared as soon as possible and that no medical treatment should be affected due to these delays. On behalf of the State government, I will convey this message to Manipal Hospital,” Sawant said.
Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar said the problem was brought to his notice by the United Veterans Association. He explained that representations had earlier been submitted to the Defence Minister regarding the pending bills at Manipal Hospital, where ex-servicemen were receiving treatment under the ECHS scheme.
“The facility was functioning, but once the hospital’s payments were delayed, the treatment process for ex-servicemen slowed down. As the bills remained unpaid for a prolonged period, the hospital eventually stopped the facility altogether. Today, we have received a clear assurance from the Defence Minister that the issue will be resolved and payments will be released at the earliest so that ex-servicemen do not lose the benefits of the ECHS scheme,” Salkar said.
South Goa MP Captain Viriato Fernandes, who was also present at the function at Goa Shipyard Limited, said that ex-servicemen across the country are facing serious difficulties in availing cashless treatment at empanelled hospitals under the ECHS scheme.
Fernandes said he personally met Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and drew his attention to the issue through a letter submitted earlier. He said the problems were not limited to Goa alone, but were being reported by ex-servicemen and their families from several parts of the country.
“I informed the Defence Minister about the letter I had already submitted on this issue and also told him that I would be sending another detailed representation with specific suggestions so that such problems do not recur in the future,” Fernandes said.
He added that the Defence Minister responded positively and immediately asked his team to work on measures to ensure that ECHS-related problems, particularly denial of cashless facilities, do not arise again.
