CANCELLATION OF
ECHS CARDS FOR NON STOPPAGE OF FMA BY BANKS
IS NOT JUSTIFIED
The Fixed Medical Allowance is
not payable to a ECHS member. Every ECHS
member is aware of this. Also the banks
have given a certificate to ECHS that the FMA has been stopped w.e.f. ……………. And
after submitting the certificate only, the membership card is given. At present the bank’s certificate is with the
Regional Centers of ECHS.
But it so happened that some
banks have not taken it seriously and not stopped the FMA and continue to to
pay. In some cases the pensioners themselves
gave letter to stop the FMA. In spite of
such letters, the banks continue to pay FMA.
Therefore it is not the fault of the pensioner to receive FMA.
Also a large number of pension
grievances like nonpayment of Delinking arrears, Settlement of Life Time
Arrears, nonpayment of OROP arrears etc. etc. are pending with the bank. Many banks are not responsive to the pensioner’s
complaints.
Under such circumstances, the
ECHS Central Organization unilaterally suspending all ECHS cards for non
stoppage of FMA by the Banks is not in order.
Why can’t they question the bank for non stopping the FMA?. For the past
14 years, the Govt. had not issued any instructions to the Banks to ensure
stoppage of FMA to ECHS members.
The ECH Scheme started on 1.4.2003. The amount of excess payment on account of
FMA will come around Rs.47,000. How can
a poor pensioner refund the entire amount in one installment? The ECHS letter
says to suspend all cards till such time the full amount is refunded. There is a provision in the banks to refund
the excess payment in installments.
Therefore, suspending the Card till the refund of the entire amount is
not acceptable.
In view of the above, we
request the ECHS central Organization to withdraw the letter and ask the banks
to stop the FMA and recover the excess payment as per the rules of the bank.
The ECHS should not harass the
members. How can a ECHS member get
emergency treatment if the card is suspended for no fault of the member ? We are receiving complaints that ECHS members
are denied emergency admission, denied medicines etc. etc.
The letter is to be withdrawn
immediately and ECHS to ask the banks to stop FMA immediately.
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