AFVOA Newletters of Year 2004

Page 48 of 153 Membership cards 15. The Smart Cards would be with built-in security features. It would contain particulars of the ESM and dependents. The built-in chip would have, frozen into it, the finger prints, medical history, and upto 50 referral particulars of the ESM and dependents. 16. Two add-on cards are being permitted as at present. As an additional facility, the Smart Cards are expected to also contain information that enables them to be used as ALL INDIA canteen cards, as well as the Retired Officers Identity Card. The advantage of the canteen facility would be that one could draw parts of one’s entitlement of liquor at more than one canteen, upto the maximum entitlement, irrespective of location, while on the move or otherwise. Medical Advances 17. ECHS beneficiaries can avail of general/specialized treatment at institutes of national repute where ordinarily advance payment for the procedures to be undergone is to be deposited. The beneficiary is to obtain an estimate of the cost of treatment from the concerned medical establishment, and then approach the nearest ECHS polyclinic for processing of the advance. The beneficiaries can receive up to 80% of the cost of treatment by way of advance through the local Station HQ. The payment will be by crossed cheque in favour of the medical establishment concerned. The balance payment is to be made by the patient at the time of discharge, and the same claimed from the ECHS. For details, members are requested to contact the nearest ECHS polyclinic for information. The list of such institutes at present is as under: a) AIIMS, New Delhi b) CMC, Vellore c) JIPMER, Pondicherry d) Medical Colleges and hospitals under the Central or State Governments. e) NIMHANS, Bangalore f) PGI, Chandigarh g) Sanjay Gandhi PGI, Lucknow h) Sankara Netralaya, Chennai i) Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai(for oncology) Issue of Medical Equipment 18. The following medical equipment, when prescribed to ECHS members, can be issued to them for their use: a) Artificial limbs/appliances b) CIPAP/BIPAP machines c) Hearing aids d) Glucometers and nebulisers e) Spectacles(only post operation for conventional treatment of cataracts) Issues raised by AFVOA Chennai 19. The President, AVM V Krishnaswamy, VSM, had addressed a DO to Lt Gen Girish setting out our concerns pertaining to the ECHS. Gen Girish had come prepared with the responses/solutions to the issues raised. The text of the suggestions made by the AFVOA is placed below, followed by Gen Girish’s responses. Cashless treatment procedure 20. Teething problems are being encountered even in a metropolis like Chennai during