Army officer's feet bitten by rats in hospital, probe ordered

New Delhi: The feet of a paralysed Special Forces officer was bitten by rats in the Base Hospital in New Delhi after which the Army has ordered an inquiry into the incident to fix responsibility. The young Lieutenant belonging to an elite Para (Special Forces) battalion of the force was admitted in the Army Base Hospital after he was injured in a counter-terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir about three weeks ago.
The incident came to light when the hospital authorities found the paralysed legs of the officer bleeding due to rat bites, Army sources said. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident and strict action would be taken against whosoever is found to be responsible for the incident, they said.
The sources said the bite wounds of the officers have been dressed and all possible attention is being paid towards his health condition. Army Base Hospital is a referral centre for several trauma-related cases of the Services personnel. A detailed report is being sought from the Base Hospital also and strict instructions have been given to maintain hygienic conditions there.
Delhi: Army officer's feet bitten by rats in hospital, probe ordered
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Delhi: AIIMS deputy director among 600 dengue patients

Home cure for dengue death sting

Home cure for dengue death sting
Prithvijit Mitra, TNN Sep 12, 2012, 04.11AM IST
KOLKATA: It could be a miracle cure for dengue. And the best part is you can make it at home.
The juice of the humble papaya leaf has been seen to arrest the destruction of platelets that has been the cause for so many deaths this dengue season. Ayurveda researchers have found that enzymes in the papaya leaf can fight a host of viral infections, not just dengue, and can help regenerate platelets and white blood cells.
Scores of patients have benefited from the papaya leaf juice, say doctors.
Papaya has always been known to be good for the digestive system. Due to its rich vitamin and mineral content, it is a health freak's favourite. But its dengue -fighting properties have only recently been discovered.
Chymopapin and papin - enzymes in the papaya leaf - help revive platelet count, say experts.
"They have a role in regenerating healthy cells. So, it's perhaps possible to treat platelet fall with them. We need more research in this area," said a researcher at the National Institute for Ayurvedic Drug Development.
The juice has to be prepared from fresh papaya leaves, say the researchers. Devein the leaves and grind the green, pulpy part into a paste. You can also use a mixer.
The paste is very bitter and you would probably have to mix it with fruit juice. Doctors recommend 20-25 ml (about four to five teaspoons), twice a day, for at least a week to get the best results.
Several dengue patients have had a remarkable platelet recovery after taking papaya leaf juice, say family members and doctors.
Twenty-one-year-old Abhishek Majumdar, who was diagnosed with dengue last week, had a platelet count of 84,000 on September 6. He had high fever, frequent vomiting and was too weak to get out of bed. The same day, he started drinking the juice on his doctor's advice. In just three days, his platelet count had crossed 1 lakh. "Not only did his platelet count rise, he started showing signs of recovery within two days. It had a miraculous effect," said Abhijit Majumdar, his father.
Thirty-two-year-old Mamta Gupta, another dengue victim, started taking papaya leaf juice on September 2 when her platelet count had dropped to 70,000. She showed signs of rapid recovery and bounced back in just three days. "My platelet count has now crossed 450,000," she said on Tuesday.
Some doctors felt papaya leaf juice could cut out the need for platelet transfusion even in severe dengue cases. "At least six of my patients have had a platelet recovery within three days. In some cases, the revival has been quite dramatic. I have recommended it to all my dengue patients," said Debashish Basu, preventive medicine specialist.
Papaya enzymes might help revive white blood cells, agrees oncologist Gautam Mukhopadhyay. "Even though we recommend transfusion in severe cases, the juice could be an option for dengue patients who don't suffer a drastic fall overnight. Even if it merely assists the natural process of revival, it's worth consuming it," said Mukhopadhyay.
Medicine specialist Subrata Maitra feels such herbal options need to be explored. "It could be a good remedy because it helps the body's immune system revive the platelet count," said Maitra.
Home cure for dengue death sting

ECHS Handbook: Demystifies Itself

Dear Veterans,
Directorate of Personal Services, Air HQ, has brought handbook incorporating every facet of the ECHS. It is an aide memoir for the veterans.
Yash Pal Diwan
HAND BOOK ON EX-SERVICEMEN CONTRIBUTORY HEALTH SCHEME: click here

Department Of Ex-Servicemen Welfare: Vision and Mission

Vision, Mission, Objectives and Functions
Results-Framework Document (RFD) for Department Of Ex-Servicemen Welfare-(2012-2013)
To ensure the well being of the Retired Armed forces personnel/their dependants and to sensitize the general public about their potential and the positive role played by Ex-servicemen in the nation building.
Mission
Formulation of polices for the welfare of Ex-service men / dependents. Timely addressal of pension grievances as per entitlement, ensuring quality health care, resettlement and rehabilitation of Ex-servicemen and promoting activities that depict the positive role played by Ex-servicemen in society.
Objective
1 Improvement in procedures relted to delivery of medical benefits to ESM
2 Strengthening mechanisms/systems for ESM welfare
3 Facilitate prompt grievance redressal
4 To conduct media campaign to highlight the role of ESM in society
5 Resettlement & rehabilitation of Ex Servicemen
6 Improved data of Ex Servicemen/ dependants
Department Of Ex-Servicemen Welfare(2012-2013)

Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen

Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen
Lucknow: The Indian Army on Tuesday launched a campaign aimed at deepening its respect for aged and retired soldiers.

The army's Central Command launched the "Year of the Veteran" campaign in the presence of several ex-army men and serving officers.
They were drawn from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh, an army official said. Lt Gen Anil Chait opened the event.
With over 300,000 ex-servicemen, the officer said two pilot projects had been taken up.
So far 911 complaints regarding issues like housing and pension have been registered with the army.
In the first phase, an officer said that army teams had fanned out in villages to obtain data about the problems faced by ex-servicemen.
Indian Army launches campaign for ex-servicemen

Pay and Allowances: Serving Officers

FAQ's for Serving Officers
Replies to FAQs have been provided with reference to the extant orders on the subject and practice being followed regarding the same. Difference in interpretation of rules, if any, may be referred to the Army authorities through staff channels. In case you notice any difference between these FAQs and the PCDA (O) handbook, please write back to PCDA (o).
FAQ's for Serving Officers: Click here
Click here for ECHS FAQ's
ECHS compendium of Government Letters

LT Gen AS Narula Takes Over as New Commandant of Army Hospital (R&R)

LT Gen as Narula Takes Over as New Commandant of Army Hospital(R&R)
Lt. General AS Narula has taken over as the new Commandant of the prestigious Army Hospital(R&R), Delhi Cantt. A graduate from Stanley Medical College, Chennai, Gen Narula completed his MD (Medicine) from Armed Forces Medical College, Pune and DM(Nephrology) from the prestigious PGI Chandigarh.
An eminent Nephrologist of National and International repute, Gen Narula has had a very illustrious career. He has been the head of Medicine department at Command Hospital (Central Command),Lucknow and Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune. As an able administrator, GeneralNarula has successfully commanded Base Hospital Delhi and has served as Additional DG in the office of DGAFMS.
Prior to taking over as Commandant, Gen Narula was MG (Med) at Chennai. Gen Narula is also an eminent teacher par excellence with many national and international publications to his credit. DM/NN (Release ID :87318)
LT Gen as Narula Takes Over as New Commandant of Army Hospital(R&R)

Spurious Stuff from CSD: Health and medical safety of defense forces compromised!

Irregularities in CSD buys under scrutiny by Himanshi Dhawan.

Hi-tech floor wiper is categorized as a manufacturer, which also supplies thandai as brand owner

An “importer” supplying ayurvedic hair oil morphs as a manufacturer supplying ginger cough drops

The Board of Administration cleared 17 food and beverage items for sale at the defense canteen stores without receiving hygiene inspection reports to certify the products
These are just some of the irregularities pointed out by the controller of defense accounts and integrated financial advisor (principal controller) Savitur Prasad to the defense establishment. The communication accessed through an RTI filed by activist Subhash Agrawal indicates blatant violation of the rules and regulations framed for procurement of supplies through the canteen stores department (CSD) that has put the health and lives of millions of defense personnel at risk.
CSD caters to the daily requirements of the armed forces personnel and their families and is expected to provide consumer goods of high quality to the troops at a price cheaper than the prevailing market rates. In order to ensure that service personnel get the maximum range of necessary items with best quality, the Board of Administration (BOA) meets every month to approve items keeping in view the troops’ needs. The annual spending of the public exchequer for these products amounts to Rs 10,000 crore.
Prasad, in a letter in April 19, 2012, has pointed out that the exact opposite of these intentions was happening. As financial advisor he received no communication regarding the factory inspections and hygiene checks for 589 products, which had been cleared by five previous BOAs between December, 2010 and December, 2011.
Referring to the BOA held in March, 2012, Prasad said that 91 items were introduced from 45 firms. Of these, 17 items were in the category of edible, beverage and liquor. “Hygiene reports for none of these reports have been received,” he wrote a month after the BOA had cleared them. Pointing out that a company, S.A.I Brushes, supplied hi-tech floor wiper was categorized as a manufacturer in one section, while the same firm was described as a brand owner supplying thandai, Prasad said, “It is incomprehensible how a wiper manufacturer is also accepted for supply of thandai (which is an edible item), to CSD, that too without factory inspection and hygiene report.”
Citing other examples, the letter said, “It is not clear whether the mandatory condition of hygiene certificate are being fulfilled by obtaining the same from Army Medical Authorities before placing the order, for cases approved in earlier BOAs.”
Recommending a review of all BOA decisions, Prasad wrote that procurement without fulfilling the condition of mandatory hygiene certification was a “serious violation” and could jeopardize the “health and medical safety of defense forces.”
In his defense, BOA chairman and general manager admitted that hygiene inspection reports are delayed. In response to Prasad’s letter Major General R Suresh replied that since the hygiene inspection was a multi-stage process and there were delays it had been decided in a meeting in 1999 that all cases of new introduction, where initial orders had not been placed beyond three months after the date of approval of an item by BOA, would be reviewed by the Board with related reports including factory inspection and hygiene reports. -via The Times of India.
Irregularities in CSD buys under scrutiny