AFVOA Newletters of Year 2006

Page 4 of 77 (c) Are we contributing by partaking in the management aspects by our voluntary service? (d) Are we facilitating the managing committee by timely payments of the nominal annual subscription? (e) Are we adhering to the persistent requests of the committee to remit the nominal dinner charges in advance, to facilitate the management? (f) Are we realizing that the organizing committee of volunteers is missing the social interactions by non-adherence of the simple request to remit the nominal dinner charge in advance? (They have to perforce establish a collection counter at the venue). (g) Are we being fair to our own Association by keeping the option of attendance to last minute decisions and convenience and sometimes cancel/don’t show up, after confirming on telephone our attendance and promising payment at the venue? 3. Let us remember that the Association has successfully carried on for over 12 years now and have been braving all the above with “Cheer”. Do we “Carry On” like this forever? Do we not belong to the elite Services which can proudly say, “We have neither forgotten our days in uniform nor the Ethos”, that we had followed. Let us contribute our bit to help our own Association and its dedicated volunteers . Let us begin immediately and make this as Resolution No.1 for the year 2006. 4. Shall we go a step further? After all, there are good Samaritans everywhere. Perhaps in our uniformed Service there are more! Many of us have felt the requirement of mutual help in our hour of need. We perhaps are facing common problems like advancing age, not too good a health condition, separation from children working abroad, living in distant areas away from ECHS/empanelled hospitals and perhaps a feeling of loneliness/boredom due to absence of the partner of our life. This is where the AFVOA can be of great value. We can form small social (Core) groups, share each others’ joys/troubles, be of immediate help in an emergency and above all, be of mutual help for our requirements of going to the CSD canteen/shopping/entertainment, etc. 5. AFVOA is examining the feasibility of “Core Groups” to be formed among members living in close proximity to each other to achieve these aspects and more, as the situation warrants. 6. We wish to share a few of our experiences that had to be faced by members/spouses of our members. Recently, a veteran had a serious medical condition. He had to be rushed to the Apollo Hospital. Although his family had been advised and even reminded to obtain the referral forms from the ECHS, there was a lapse and unfortunately the veteran passed away. The hospital had taken a tough stand by not releasing the body, unless payment was settled - a rather poignant situation. If this can occur to an Officer member of the ECHS in spite of advice and persuasion, you can imagine the rest. To cut the story short, with the AFVOA’s intervention and persuasion by the O i/c, ECHS Polyclinic, the matter was resolved partially - a avoidable situation indeed. 7. There are incidents of timely action as well. Our President had to be rushed to the MIOT Hospital for an emergency. The lady wife indeed rose to the occasion and followed the correct procedure with immediate intimation to the ECHS Polyclinic followed by regular interaction with ECHS as well as the hospital authorities and everything that was admissible for the treatment had been provided to the satisfaction of the patient and the family. Wq Cdr Ravi Mani had to be rushed to the MH, Chennai by Brig V.A. Subramanian and Col. N. Vishwanathan, after a timely telephone message from Mrs. Ravi Mani that enabled an