Alongside brave Indian soldiers who are occupying 'icy heights' and braving adverse weather conditions in the eastern Ladakh sector it is the team of doctors, ace surgeons and paramedics, drawn from different command hospitals who are working round the clock to keep them fighting fit.
To accommodate the large Army of soldiers in the highest battleground the Indian Army has already created state of the art modern infrastructure facilities to cater to the special needs of the soldiers stationed at forward locations at an altitude of 16,000 to 18,000 feet.
Super specialists and senior surgeons from different command hospitals have been roped in to perform special duties ranging between six to eight weeks at some of these forward locations to ensure safety of brave soldiers. Specialists have been stationed at a Forward surgical centre (FSC) in the eastern Ladakh sector to provide immediate treatment to the needy soldiers deployed along the LAC. Official sources said, “Field hospitals on ground zero are fully functional and are already performing specialised treatment for extreme winter-related issues faced by troops”.
According to a doctor who had recently completed his tenure at a high altitude location in the Siachen sector, “patients normally complain of high altitude ailments such as breathlessness when they are deployed at a forward location”.
Sometimes patients also complain of stomach ache due to sub zero temperature conditions and over dose of packaged food. Soldiers also report fluctuation in their blood pressure and brain stroke, Heart attack, color blindness etc. To address the issue, soldiers are directed to perform yoga asanas and breathing exercises, whenever possible to stay fit.
Defence sources said, “medical Officers are deployed with each unit along with nursing assistants and other paramedics. In addition, surgical teams are also stationed at a Forward Surgical centre to cater to any contingency in the operational area”.
These sources said ,”For every Brigade centre there exists one field hospital and for every Division headquarter there is one Forward Surgical centre”.
To ensure their own fitness, doctors need one week acclimatization if they have to be stationed at an altitude up to 9,000 feet.
The acclimatization period is extended by four more days if a doctor is stationed at an altitude up to 13,000 ft and further four days acclimatization is required for higher altitude locations up to 16,000 to 19000 feet.
Last month, Army doctors achieved a major feat at an altitude of 16,000 feet as they successfully removed an appendix of a soldier in a dug-in at a forward surgical centre in the Eastern Ladakh.
The surgery was performed by a team of three doctors including a Lt Colonel, a Major and a Captain on a soldier, who could not be evacuated by chopper due to the weather conditions.
According to official sources, “To protect soldiers from harsh weather conditions in the region adequate winter clothing has been provided to them to beat sub zero temperature conditions”.
Besides ensuring availability of basic amenities including high protein diet, routine ration, fuel supplies, soldiers have been accommodated in Arctic tents which can sustain temperatures between -20 to -40 degrees in the region. At base camps, centrally heated barracks have been set up, equipped with modern heating appliances to protect the soldiers.
The Indian army had rushed additional troops in the region to beef up its defences after the deadly face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in Galwan valley on June 15, 2020. Twenty soldiers including a commanding officer of an Infantry battalion made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty.