Wednesday, April 1, 2009

ESM: Dependants of Defence Security Personnel Neglected

The Defence Security Corps, with 31,000 personnel, provides security at Defence Ministry sites. The role of Defence Security Corps is to ensure the protection and security of designated Defence Installations against sabotage and pilferage.

The Defence Department Constabulary Centre, now known as Defence Security Corps (DSC), was raised on 25th April 1947 at Muthura in Uttar Pradesh. The centre moved to Delhi on 3rd May 1947. It was formed in the form of a semi-police force with police title and badges of ranks. In 1948, military titles and badges of ranks were given to the DSC. In August 1958, the Corps was re-organised and redesignated as Defence Security Corps-DSC and brought under the control of Army Headquarters.

The DSC and Records moved from Delhi to Chkrata in UP in April 1959 and then to Kannur on 21st November 1961. The centre imparts training to ex-service personnel of Army, Navy, Air Force and Territorial Army and recruits them to various agencies under the Army, Navy, Air Force and Territorial Army and to the Directorate General of Ordinance Factories and Directorate General of Research and Development. The DSC is a ministry of defence force, it comprises mainly superannuated soldiers who are re-employed for a few years.

Dilemma of DSC Personnel: ALARMING DIAGNOSTIC COSTS POOR CANNOT AFFORD
Recently I happened to accompany the wife of a DSC Sepoy for emergency medical treatment. The DSC Sepoy is serving in J&K Area and his wife and three children are living in a village in Southern Tamil Nadu. The DSC Sepoy and his families are eligible for free medical treatment in the Army hospitals. But in this case his family could not avail any free army hospital facility as she is living in a non-military area. Also they cannot avail ECHS facility as her husband is a serving in DSC.

First for emergency, I took her to a Taluk level government hospital. The patient was having severe pain in the lower abdomen, unable to bear and started running here and there. A lady doctor in the government hospital attended her for emergency and later advised her to take so many diagnostic tests like, ultra sound scan, CT Scan, Xray, ECG and so forth. The above diagnostic facilities are not available in the government hospital. Finally I took her to a private hospital in a nearby town district head quarters. The Specialist in the private hospital wrote down a list of diagnostic tests to be conducted before starting any treatment. She was admitted on the morning of 29.03.09. The following tests were conducted:
  • Blood & urine analysis Rs.1000
  • Xray Rs. 500
  • Abdomen USG scan Rs. 500
  • Abdomen CT scan with IV Rs.4750
  • ECG & Eco cardiograph Rs.1000
  • Medicine/antibiotics Rs.1500
    Total Rs.9250 (Room rent and other hospital bills not included. Still the actual treatment not started)

    For the last 3 days I am running here helping the patient undergo above diagnostic tests. Still the specialist doctor is unable to find out what is the cause of severe pain in the abdomen. In 3 days the poor Sepoy’s family has paid around Rs.10,000/- for diagnostic tests only. But so far no relief from the pain. The visiting specialist doctors do not tell anything except advice to conduct more and more tests. The patient has paid all the hospital bills by pledging her jewels to a pawn broker for urgent medical diagnosis.

    Now the patient’s pain is more about the expenses than her actual abdomen pain. This is the condition of a serving DSC’s family (separated). Will the MOD and the ECHS authorities do something for free treatment at the ECHS polyclinics in the area where Jawans families are in dire medical need?

    C Muthukrishnan, (Ex Sgt)
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