Lok Sabha Question No. 888 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-26
Subject: Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme
Ministry: DEFENCE
Asked by: Shri Rajesh Verma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

## DEPARTMENT OF EX-SERVICEMEN WELFARE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 888

TO BE ANSWERED ON 26 th  JULY, 2024

## EX-SERVICEMEN CONTRIBUTORY HEALTH SCHEME

## 888 SHRI RAJESH VERMA:

Will the Minister of DEFENCE be pleased to state:

- (a) the salient features of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS);

(b) the number of beneficiaries who have availed services through ECHS during the last three years;

- (c) the amount incurred by the Government under the Scheme; and

(d)  the  details  of  the  hospitals  empanelled  under  ECHS  across  the  country,  State/UT-wise including Bihar, district-wise?

## A  N  S  W  E  R

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

(SHRI SANJAY SETH)

- (a): (i)  The  Ex-Servicemen  Contributory  Health  Scheme  (ECHS)  became  operational  on 01 st  April, 2003 for Ex-Servicemen drawing defence pension alongwith their eligible dependents. The scheme provides cashless and capless medical benefits to approximately 60 lakh beneficiaries. Special sanction of the Government of India has been granted on 07 th  March, 2019 to World War-II Veterans, emergency Commissioned Officers, short service commissioned Officers and Pre-Mature Retirees by waiving off the  mandatory  conditions  of  being  Ex-Servicemen  and  drawing  pension  from Controller of Defence Accounts.
- (ii) ECHS provides medical services through a vast network of 427 ECHS Polyclinics in India,  06  in  Nepal,  30  ECHS  Regional  Centers  and  Empanelled  Health  Care Organizations.
- (iii) Personnel from the following organizations/categories, apart from the Tri-services, are entitled for ECHS membership: -
- (1) Territorial Army
- (2) Defence Security Corps
- (3) Uniformed Indian Coast Guard

- (4) Military Nursing Service
- (5) Special Frontier Force
- (6) Nepal Domiciled Gorkha
- (7) Whole time NCC officers
- (8) Army Postal Service
- (9) Army Rifles
- (10) World War-II Veterans, Short Service Commissioned Officers (SSCOs), Emergency Commissioned Officers (ECOs) & Pre Mature Retirees.

(b):  Around 3.55 Crore number of visits have been reported in ECHS Polyclinics by ECHS beneficiaries for treatment/referral through ECHS in the last three years.

(c):  The amount spent by the Department of Ex-servicemen under the scheme during the last three  years  is  Rs.  21,589.31  Crores  and  for  the  current  year  is  Rs.  2,688.86  Crores (as on 22 nd July, 2024).

(d):    Details  of  the  empaneled  Health  Care  Organisations  under  ECHS  across  the  country, State/UT-wise including Bihar district-wise is placed at Annexure.

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## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (d)  OF  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 888 TO BE ANSWERED ON 26.07.2024 REGARDING 'EX-SERVICEMEN CONTRIBUTORY HEALTH SCHEME'.

Table 1: Details of the Empanelled Health Care Organisations (HCOs) under ECHS across the country- STATE-WISE: -

| Sl. No   | State/UT         |   Empanelled Health Care Organisations |
|----------|------------------|----------------------------------------|
| 1.       | Andhra Pradesh   |                                    141 |
| 2.       | Assam            |                                     36 |
| 3.       | Bihar            |                                     49 |
| 4.       | Chandigarh       |                                     58 |
| 5.       | Chhattisgarh     |                                     17 |
| 6        | Delhi            |                                    495 |
| 7        | Goa              |                                      7 |
| 8        | Gujarat          |                                     50 |
| 9        | Haryana          |                                    475 |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh |                                     80 |
| 11       | Jammu& Kashmir   |                                     24 |
| 12       | Jharkhand        |                                     28 |
| 13       | Karnataka        |                                    120 |
| 14       | Kerala           |                                    191 |
| 15       | Madhya Pradesh   |                                     96 |
| 16       | Maharashtra      |                                    327 |
| 17       | Manipur          |                                      3 |
| 18       | Meghalaya        |                                      2 |
| 19       | Mizoram          |                                      4 |
| 20       | Nagaland         |                                      2 |
| 21       | Odisha           |                                     54 |
| 22       | Puducherry       |                                      4 |
| 23       | Punjab           |                                    495 |
| 24       | Rajasthan        |                                    237 |
| 25       | Sikkim           |                                      1 |
| 26       | Tamil Nadu       |                                    137 |
| 27       | Telangana        |                                     30 |
| 28       | Tripura          |                                      3 |
| 29       | Uttar Pradesh    |                                    502 |
| 30       | Uttarakhand      |                                     79 |
| 31       | West Bengal      |                                     67 |
| Total    |                  |                                   3814 |

Table 2: Details of the hospitals empanelled under ECHS in Bihar- DISTRICT-WISE: -

| Sl. No.   | District      |   Health Care Organisations |
|-----------|---------------|-----------------------------|
| 1         | Begusarai     |                          01 |
| 2         | Buxar         |                          01 |
| 3         | Chapra        |                          01 |
| 4         | Darbhanga     |                          04 |
| 5         | Dehri-on-sone |                          01 |
| 6         | Katihar       |                          03 |
| 7         | Muzaffarpur   |                          03 |
| 8         | Hajipur       |                          01 |
| 9         | Patna         |                          33 |
| 10        | Siwan         |                          01 |
|           | Total         |                          49 |

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