The Defence Minister
Shri George Fernandes has said that all out efforts will be made
to expedite the implementation of the new medical scheme for ex-Servicemen.
The Minister disclosed this while addressing the meeting of the
Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here today. The
scheme for providing medical care to ex-servicemen, war widows
and their dependents will be on the pattern of Central Government
Health Scheme (CGHS).
The military facilities
existing at 104 military stations will be augmented at a capital
cost of Rs. 49 crore and annual recurring expenditure of Rs. 52
crore will be incurred on this scheme.
Fresh medical facilities
in the nature of polyclinics/medical inspection rooms will be
set up at 123 stations where the population of ex-Servicemen is
more than 2,500. This will involve a capital cost of Rs 69 crore
and annual recurring cost of Rs 98 crore. The Ex-servicemen, war
widows and their dependents at other stations where ex-Servicemen
population is less than 2,500 will be attached to the existing
poly-clinics/medical inspection rooms as mentioned above or with
poly clinics/medical inspection rooms to be opened in these stations.
The Ex-Servicemen,
war widows and their dependents will also be reimbursed the cost
of medicines not provided by the polyclinics/medical inspection
rooms, fee of the specialists to whom they referred to, the charges
of laboratories of pathological or other diagnostic tests and
also the cost of hospitalisation. This is estimated to cost Rs
201 crore annually.
The ex-Servicemen
and war widows will be required to make a contribution at the
same rate at which the Central Government pensioners are required
to make contribution for availing medical facilities under the
CGHS after retirement. The scheme will be implemented in a phased
manner in five years.
Members participating
in the discussion raised the issues related to various problems
faced by ex-Servicemen in getting employment, loans and other
benefits from various agencies. They were of the view that benefits
to ex-Servicemen should be provided at such places where they
are settled in large numbers. One member alleged large-scale exploitation
of ex-Servicemen by various security agencies owned by retired
senior service officials. Another member suggested cent per cent
reservation for the post of security guards in Public Sector Banks.
One member was of the view that government should settle the issue
of one rank-one pension at the earliest.
The following members
attended the meeting - Smt Jayshree Banerjee (BJP), Capt Inder
Singh (INLD) and Shri Mansoor Ali Khan (BSP) from Lok Sabha and
Shri Balvant P Apte (BJP) and Shri Swaraj Kaushal (HVP), from
Rajya Sabha.
The Minister of State
for Defence Shri Chaman Lal Gupta, Minister of State for Defence
Production and Supplies Shri Harin Pathak, Defence Secretary Shri
Subir Dutta and other senior officials were also present at the
meeting.
