THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: More private hospitals in the state have evinced interest in getting empanelled in the army’s Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), Lieutenant General Velu Nair, Director General of Medical Services (Army), said on Friday.
Talking to ‘Express’ on the sidelines of a visit to the Military Hospital at the Army Station, Pangode, on Friday, he said the recent complaints regarding ECHS were also a ‘’sign of growth.’’
‘’The complaints are a sign of growth. There is no perfect situation. The Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme was started only in 2003, and it has come a long way,’’ he said.
He added that empanelling has not been a big issue for ten years now. Kerala has adequate number of ECHS polyclinics at present, which corresponds to the population strength, he said.
‘’If more are required, more would be created,’’ he said. Army medical services today caters to not just service personnel, but a growing population of ex-servicemen and dependents. Emphasis was being laid on making the system more efficient and robust, he said. The army currently has 111 hospitals across the country including the five command hospitals which boasts 800-1000 beds.
‘’Three of the command hospitals have started transplant programmes including bone-marrow transplant,’’ he said. Another major area where emphasis was being laid on was research in combat medicine.
‘’We are modernising in this area. We have to have effective casualty evacuation channels on ground. We are also upgrading our equipment, trying to make them more mobile, more portable. It’s an ongoing process.
"In this area, the ‘government’s ‘Make in India’ policy is being adopted wherever possible,’’ Lieutenant General Velu Nair said.