Lt. Gen. R.P.Singh.
GOC-in-C Western Command Chandimandir
Subject:Hard Times are yet to come. SOLDIERS including their AMC FRATERNITY has to remain BATTLE WORTHY ALWAYS and EVERYTIME.
Dear General,
1. I take the liberty to thank your URO TEAM headed by Col. Amit Agarwal of Command Hospital for conducting successful operation on me on 03rd June 2021.
2. I do hope ECHS will reimburse the Medical expenses incurred on me by Command Hospital Chandimandir. However, I do make a effort to reimburse a token sum of these Medical expenses incurred on my Operation less after surgery care which was largely done by me.For this; I enclose a Cheque of Rs. Five Thousand only in favour of GOC-in-C which can be utilsed to replace worn out mattresses from Officer’s ward or buy cutlery and glasses for Officer ward where one could find Singapore Air Line Fork and spoons/ forks of numerous varieties which are never found in Officers Mess.
3. That I wish I could donate atleast one wheel chair to Command Hospital as I saw a wornout chair being offered to a Officer Patient on discharge.My meager military penson prevents me from donating Wheel Chair so as to make two ends to meet honourably. My brother Veteran Officers should come out for suçh nobel ventures. The Government will always keep Armed Forces without sufficeint funds but will not shy away from using limited resources of Armed Forces be it of even Medical at the costs of Soldiers.
4. That I am aware that for setting up Covid Pandemic Hospitals the meagre manpower resources of Army Hospitals have been over taxed by civilian Centre/State governments and trained Doctors and nursing staff is deployed in these Covid Hospitals. But with ever increasing Black Fungus disease and likely THIRD WAVE of Covid Pandemic; the Army Medical resources will continue to be in use by civilians for long time due to ever ailing civil health structure where Union of India in last 72 years has pumped in Millions-Billions of rupees of tax payers mlney which has gone down the drain in pockets of ruling elite and their henchmen. The Center/State Governments may not reimburse such Army Hospital expenditure and if they do paper reimbursement then it will never reach the end expense making Army Hospitals/ Formations who will also rely on their alloted Army budget in order to shape up teeming millions who suffered the Pandemic largely due to could not care attitude of ruling Governments who still take it as a Law and Order problem and not Medical problem and still sleeping to shore up health infrastructure and does not allot atleast 6.8% GDP budget to health infrastructure of India where there are some primary health Centers/ sub centers in a thatched huts and some with no DOCTOR and some in next to cattlesheds.Even as late as 2020-21, defecting medical equipment like Oxygen Concentrators etc were purçhased by Government machinary for civil Hospitals and one Government sold off Vaccine at a profit to private hospitals only to cancel its order after hue and cry but did not punush the Health authorities who made this profit making venture that too during ongoing Pandemics. Their corrupt show goes on from 1947 to 2021, i.e. YEH KHABHI BHI NAHI SUDERENGE. Anyway coming back to Army systems.
Battle wòrthy of Army Hospitals, dedicated Health care staff and even educate Soldiers to take care of themselves if need be after surgery etc:
5. These Pandemics and during war in take of casualties will be very high. The Health care needs to sustain itself and stand tall in those trying times.Mere entering into Healthcare system does not make one FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE, but there has to be humanity and dedicated commitment from core of heart to take care of patients. A person who can not sustain 8 hourly duty will put health care of a patient Soldier to gravest risks and efforts of Army Doctors conducting succesful surgeries will go in vain which will also directly adversely affect the Armed Forces of India who will require their Soldiers made quickly medically fit to rejoin battlefields at the earliest.Thus all Soldiers should be trained for after surgery self care so that if need arises then they can recover where Nursing system crashes momentarily.
6. There is no denying the fact that Doctors and Nurses play very vital part in managing the crises of Patients, of Pandemic and especially of battle casualties during War/battles. Doctors after surgery leave it to nursing staff to provide dedicated health care so that their Patients recover quickly.
7. The nursing staff are often primary care giver in hospitals. The patient interacts with them especially after surgery during road to recovery.
8. There is a need always of quality health care service to Soldiers and Veterans. Especially during Wars/ battles and Pandemics there is requirement of health care of patients round the clock. Nurses should be well acquainted with ailments specific care. Even the worsening of life style diseases has caught up the Armed Forces where there are increase of ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure and heart ailments. The increase in cardiovascular diseases is frightening. Proper healthcare by nursing professionals will speed up recovery and reduce load on Doctors and Units will have their Soldiers back. The deep fatigue and anguish especially during war or ongoing Pandemic will need stronger “wìll power” for nursing staff to take care of critical cases, neuro care, operation theater nursing and constant updating of education, among others. The mere fact that Pandemic has put civil health care system on ventilator and exposed its deplorable conditions, has forced Army Medical Corps to step in aid of civil, thereby, increasing the burden on already over stretched Army Medical system.
9. FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE SET VERY HIGH STANDARDS OF NURSING WITH THE RESULTS MANY WOUNDED SOLDIERS QUICKLY RECOVERED AND JOINED THEIR COMRADES IN BATTLEFIELDS. Some private Hospitals pay very low wages to Nursing staff. But yet Nurses are prompt and meticulous in answering each and every call of patient, ensuring timely change of drip bottles or timely change/emptying of Urine satchel, providing medical papers, medicine and discharge slips etc on the bedside of the patient and take discharged patient on Wheel chair till exit gate of hospital ensuring patient boards vehicle. Unfortunately all this is found lackig in Command Hospital for best known reasons to their nursing staff. That is why I advocate teaching Soldiers for self care ( if need be) after surgery.
10. It was. very unfortunate that needle fixed for insertion of drip and injections prior to OT was leaking and only patients going to nursing COUNTER and explaining to the nurse then its location was changed. Patient had to ask time and again to change the enpty bottle of drip. He had to pick up empty drip bottle and its pipe in one hand and urine satchel and its pipe in other hand and then go to nursing counter to get the needle of drip system removed from nurse to stop blood flowing from viens of patient to drip pipe. Ultimately he requested the Doctor to put him on drip system for the night only if he can ensure timely replenishment so Doctor stopped the drip and patient that night used oral hydration (drank six bottles of water ) to flush out blood from his urine bladder on which surgery was performed. The person for changing/emptying urine satchel was usually missing even at night and nurse said that he attends seven wards and will only come when he can and you can tell this to Commandsnt also. There was dust on center table of recreation room. Wheel chair given to one discharged Officer patient had torn back and his relative was left to take him from the ward of his own. For medical papers, discharge slip and medicine slips patient is made to shuttle around on two counters of Nursing staff and ward master and discharge is not on displayed time by 1400 hrs. This is inspite of very highly paid nursing staff whuch is well trained by Army at Government expenses, whereas, private hospitals lowely paid nursing staff provide proper and maticulous health care after surgery as brought put above. The Army needs to do quick thinking on this aspect as during war when influx of casualitues will be very high then Soldier Patients will require meticulous and dedicated nursing staff to make these patients battle worthy quickly to rejoin their duties in battlefields at the earliest. Also I am sending cheque of token sum of payment of SURGERY only and not of healthcare after surgery which needs lot of improvement, otherwise we will be doing dis-service to the principles of FLOWRENCE NIGHTINGGALE. Please ensure ECHS reimburses all medical expenditure incurred on me by Command Hospital Chandimandir of which Urologist carried out timely and good surgery on me for which I shall remain ever indebted to Army.
CONCLUSION
10. That I once again thank Col Amit Agarwal HOD of URO TEAM for prompt and successful surgery on me.
11. Please accept my cheque of Rs. Five Thousand only as discussed above and utilise it for purchase of Mattresses/cutlery/ glasses for Officer’s Ward of Command Hospital Chandimandir.
12. Prepare both Hospitals especially their nursing system to be battle worthy always and everytime on the basic principles of FLOWERANCE NIGHTINGÀLE.
13. Educate Soldiers on self health care after surgery if need be; as and when situation arises due to increase in patients or if someone finds chink in Nursing system then after Surgery healthcare do not suffer.
14. I would request fellow Veterans Officers to donate medical equipment to Army Hospitals or pool in to do so.
15. This is plain speaking by a Soldier so that system improves itself to finest quality and its not a complaint. I have been raisng issues for betterment and upliftment of Able/disabled serving/retired Soldiers, and families, Widows and war Widows at National level since 1994 with lot of success and all at my costs. Please do acknowledge and confirm receipt and action taken telephonically and via revert Email and by post.
Jai Hind!
(Major Onkar Singh IC-33468N aged 69 years)
Copy to All concerned for widest publicity amongst Veteran Officers to generously come forwad to augment resources of Army Hospitals as Defence Ministry has not been doing yhis gor ages and leaves noopportunity to use the services of even AMC as bekng done on mass scale for ongoing Pandemic Covid 19 of which third wave may follow soon.
I am sending cheque of Rs. Five Thousand only by post.
Copy also to:
All three Chiefs through their Welfare Directorates of respective HQ