Role of Moderators

Letter from General Satish Chandra

Dear Colonel,

I saw the message from Chander about the blogspot. It is a wish having come true. Since long I had wished that some more people come forward to assist Chander in the yeoman service initiated by him , so that his efforts are put on permanent footing. I respect the planned way to open up blogspot, step by step. Yet, the reasons for the slow progress in case of Signals Association site, can be kept in mind. Since the first step is for the Retired officers, the change in their mindset should be taken into account, if the debates have to be bold and healthy.

The Moderators can keep in mind:-
Our parliament does not bar any Member from raising any point , as long as due notice is given. Different people have different subjects on their mind. The definition of the controversial subject changes with age, freedom from bureaucratic controls and personal experiences.

The Moderators will play a big role in the success and popularity of the blogspot. We hope that they will concentrate on a subject rather than who initiates it.
I wish all the success to persons like Chander and yourself in bringing us together.

With regards,
Satish Chandra

Ex- Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme: ECHS

Medical care is of paramount importance to the veterans of the three defence services and their dependent family members. ECHS launched a few years ago has become the main vehicle for health care of Veterans. Managing Director ECHS (a serving officer of the rank of Maj Gen) and his staff, located at Delhi Cantonment, are responsible for efficient functioning of the scheme.

ECHS is becoming more and more popular and even some veterans living abroad, who cannot afford medical aid there, are coming to India to take advantage of the scheme. The load is increasing day by day. This blog can be a means to provide feed back to the Managing Director ECHS. Of course, members can send any points they have directly also to them.
ECHS Polyclinics should have-
1. Good doctors.
2. Polite and efficient staff.
3. Hassle free procedures.
4. Availability of medicines.
5. Good patient care accommodation.
6. High quality and adequate empanelled laboratories and hospitals/ nursing homes.

It is essential to set high standards in the nascent and formative stages. Feed back from veterans is necessary for improving health care. ECHS is not only meant for veterans living in metros and large cities but the need in smaller cities and remote villages is even more critical. Managing Director ECHS and his staff are trying hard to provide the required infrastructure, facilities, financial resources and the like. However, the local day to day administration is done by the Station Headquarters.

ECHS members may express their views and give their suggestions regarding its functioning directly to ECHS or be posted on this blog. Please do mention your rank, name, service number and Polyclinic dependent upon. We will provide the link "Report My Signal- Blog" to managing director ECHS, so that they can have an access to your suggestions for improving the health scheme.

So let us hear from you. Best wishes.

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I have following suggestions for ECHS Polyclinic at Chennai:

1. The waiting period is generally over an hour. The initial Registration process is manual and cumbersome.
2. The process should be automated for quick processing by using our ECHS SIM card.
3. The medical staff are mostly civilians. These should be replaced by Ex Servicemen of the Army Medical Corps.
4. ECHS is located within the Military Hospital premises which is a great advantage. The services rendered by MH and ECHS is of exceptionally high standard.
5. I have observed that patients are overpowered and overwhelmed with abundant medications by way of prescriptions, unlike in developed countries!

James Kanagaraj
Lt Col (Retd)