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NEW DELHI: Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) audit tabled in Parliament on Thursday flagged serious shortcomings in Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), pointing to inadequate hospital coverage, long-pending manpower shortages, delayed payments and infrastructure gaps that have affected healthcare access for retired defence personnel and their families.It reviewed the scheme’s performance between 2018-19 and 2022-23 and examined functioning of key implementing agencies, including department of ex-servicemen welfare, central organisation ECHS, regional centres, polyclinics and service hospitals.One of the most critical findings was uneven and insufficient geographical coverage of empanelled hospitals, forcing beneficiaries in several regions to travel long distances for specialised treatment. Defence ministry told auditors that it has since simplified empanelment norms and expanded the hospital network to partially address the imbalance.It also flagged chronic manpower shortages, noting categorisation of polyclinics has not been revised since the scheme’s launch in 2003, despite a steady rise in the number of ex-servicemen. Staffing levels at central organisation, regional centres and polyclinics have similarly remained unchanged. The ministry informed Parliament that 1,357 additional personnel were sanctioned in Nov 2024 for 23 new and 50 upgraded polyclinics.Shortfalls in medicines, equipment and ambulances were another concern. Auditors recorded instances of delayed medicine supply, outdated equipment, aging ambulances and weak functioning of mobile medical units. The report highlighted delays in payments to empanelled hospitals and reimbursement of beneficiaries’ claims, caused by inadequate allocation under MTRE.
