I must warn the reader that the title is very misleading.
Mhow cantonment is a small place and most often the morning walkers cannot avoid meeting and greeting every other walker and there are times you meet more than once in a single session. It’s generally a wave or a nod without breaking your stride.
On one such nod, something made me stop. The lady’s face was full of questions and it was obvious that she was trying to put them into words. “Aren’t you handling that insurance for Jupiter ?” or words to that effect.
I have heard of mangal- yaan and Chandra -yaan , but Jupiter -yaan was still light years away. It took some time for me to connect the dots. Yes, I am part of the organization facilitating purchase of health cover for veterans and this health cover policy gave the insured access to Vishesh Jupiter Hospital, currently the most preferred hospital in Indore.
For years , veterans have known nothing except the military hospitals , though they were some of the best hospitals in the country during the socialist era, pre – 1990. Post 2000, the private hospitals came up in a big way and today hospitals are not just for medical treatment but are competing with hospitality industry in services providing comfort and good life .
Despite the huge progress the country has seen in health care facilities, veterans covered by ECHS have very few empanelled hospitals , particularly in tier 2, tier 3 cities. So, the idea of five star hospitals is always a talking point .
During our morning walks , I hear as much about the cuisine at Jupiter hospital Cafeteria as about the medical facilities. One also hears about the wide range of rooms available for an in patient. A hospital is no more a place just for medical treatment.
Most multi specialty hospitals remain out of the reach of veterans depending solely on ECHS. Under the circumstances the health cover provided through our organization , Sainik Seva Samiti is certainly a passport to Jupiter.