With the recent passing of Brig RS Parmar (retd), who could not get a bed in a military hospital on Delhi and died way on way to Chandigarh, in their mind, the fellow officers of the battalion started calling each other up and started charting the course of action to get timely medical help to Colonel Rajinder Kumar.
LIVING UPTO the motto of the 3rd Battalion of the Bihar Regiment ‘Hum Hee Jeeteinge’, a group of retired officers of the same battalion rallied around a fellow officer suffering from Covid symptoms and liaised with the Army Headquarters and HQ Western Command Thursday night to ensure he got admitted in Command Hospital Chandimandir for treatment.
The three Bihar officers are all part of a WhatsApp group which has the same name as the battalion motto and it was in this group that the news first came through Thursday that Colonel Rajinder Kumar, a veteran of the battalion who lives in Chandigarh with his wife, was suffering from Covid symptoms and needed medical help.
With the recent passing of Brig RS Parmar (retd), who could not get a bed in a military hospital on Delhi and died way on way to Chandigarh, in their mind, the fellow officers of the battalion started calling each other up and started charting the course of action to get timely medical help to Colonel Rajinder Kumar.
One of the neighbours of the Colonel was Savita Rana, whose husband late Lt Col S S Rana of the same battalion had been killed in the line of duty in Jammu and Kashmir in counter insurgency operations and was posthumously awarded the highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashok Chakra. She was asked to verify the condition of Col Rajinder so that the next course of action could be decided.
Meanwhile, officers from as far as Ranchi and those based in Noida, Ambala, Mohali swung into action as they were worried that medical help may get delayed due to the present rush in hospitals.
Lt Col Sadhu Singh Sohi got in touch with Brig Akaash Johar of the veterans directorate in Army HQs who in turn immediately got in touch with the Command HQs Western Command in Chandimandir for getting medical treatment for Colonel Rajinder.
The Command Hospital Western Command also responded and asked for the officer to be immediately administered in the hospital and by the same night, Colonel Rajinder was admitted and put under treatment.
The entire fraternity of 3 Bihar was greatly relieved at the speed with which everyone responded at the level of Army HQs, Command HQs and the Command Hospital.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Savita Rana said that it was very appreciative that everyone got together to help a fellow officer and also that needful instructions have been passed by Army HQs that veterans and their dependents should get prompt medical attention.
It is learnt that the Army HQs has directed that all measures should be taken by ex-servicemen cells in various formations to come to the aid of any veteran seeking help.
Emergency numbers are to be manned at each station 24×7 and it has been emphasised that veterans are authorized treatment in the local Military Hospital (MH) and they should not be turned away from the MH.
Veterans have also been advised that they must keep in touch with each other especially where they are living in isolated areas without family support. Ex-servicemen cells have been encouraged to evolve a process to ensure that a system of buddy pairs is made amongst the veterans to take care of each other.
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