Veterans warn of protest if pollution clearance issue is not resolved by September 30; disruption affects beneficiaries across five districts
Munish Sood
Mandi
The Ex-Servicemen League, District Mandi, has sought the immediate intervention of the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister over the suspension of ECHS empanelment of Harihar Hospital at Gutkar, warning that a prolonged delay could disrupt specialised healthcare for thousands of ex-servicemen, war widows and their dependents across central Himachal Pradesh.
The issue was raised at a governing council meeting of ex-servicemen units of Mandi district chaired by Brigadier Khushal Thakur (YSM), chairman of the Ex-Servicemen League. The council expressed concern over the non-renewal of the hospital’s Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) under the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS), which expired on September 9.
Harihar Hospital is the only empanelled multi-specialty facility of its kind in the area and caters not only to beneficiaries from Mandi but also from Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti, Bilaspur and Hamirpur. The lapse in empanelment has consequently raised concerns about access to specialist and tertiary healthcare, particularly for veterans living in remote and hilly areas.
According to the council, the delay is linked to an administrative requirement rather than any deficiency at the hospital. The hospital is reportedly ready to comply with the required QCI/NABH norms, but needs a Certificate of Authorization from the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board for the renewal process.
The council said the Pollution Control Board’s online portal has remained non-functional since August 1, preventing the hospital from uploading the necessary documents and obtaining the certificate. Officials have reportedly indicated that restoration of the portal could take around a month.
Brig Thakur said veterans who had spent their working years serving the country should not face difficulties in accessing healthcare because of a technical problem with a government portal. The council has urged the Chief Minister and Industry Minister to direct the Pollution Control Board to resolve the matter on priority, including through a manual or alternative mechanism if the online system remains unavailable.
The ex-servicemen body has also appealed to the army authorities for a one-time three-month waiver and temporary extension of the hospital’s contract so that treatment for ECHS beneficiaries does not remain affected while the administrative formalities are completed.
The council has set September 30 as the deadline for resolution of the issue. It warned that if the required pollution clearance is not secured by then, ex-servicemen and their dependents from the district would be compelled to organise a protest procession.
The council maintained that protest would be a last resort and that its immediate priority was restoration of the hospital’s ECHS empanelment. It also sought clear timelines and regular updates from the authorities, stressing that uninterrupted healthcare for veterans should be treated as a matter of public service and welfare rather than routine technical administration.
