Author: Eklavya Atray
Publication: DNA (Daily News & Analysis)
Date: March 19, 2009
URL: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1240444
They swear by the Indian soldier in public.
But in private, Union ministers, senior bureaucrats and many others do not
hesitate to exploit health facilities meant exclusively for the Indian soldier.
Using the Right to Information Act, DNA carried
out a detailed inspection of records at the army's Research and Referral (R&R)
Hospital in the capital. It found that hundreds of civilians were treating
themselves at the prestigious hospital using their powerful connections.
Lok Sabha speaker Somnath Chatterjee, external
affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, former president R Venkatraman and several
IAS officers, including secretaries, former defence secretaries and serving
defence ministry bureaucrats were among hundreds of civilians treating themselves
at the prestigious hospital.
There were also many unknown faces, who obviously
came with strong recommendations. In fact, R&R hospital, the largest military
hospital in India, has treated over 750 non-entitled patients in the last
five years.
DNA found that these men and women were treated
for diseases ranging from common dysentery to complicated surgeries, viral
fever to life-threatening complications. In return the patients paid peanuts,
the subsidised rate military personnel are entitled to.
The authorities covered up the staggering
exploitation of military resource by saying that the hospital commandant was
empowered to make exemptions for outsiders. But this comes at a time when
the defence ministry is paying crores annually to private hospitals for treating
retired military personnel and their kin under the ex-servicemen Contributory
Health Scheme, due to shortage of facilities in military hospitals.
The R&R also treated about a dozen of
its own civil staff though the rules strictly forbid it.
An official said on anonymity, "The non
entitled patients are billed on the same terms as army officers. The treatment
here is so much cheaper."
Among the non-entitled patients treated at
R&R in the last five years were 371 relatives of ex-servicemen, 163 foreigners
and ministry of defence officials and 257 civilians.
Foreigners are admitted on the defence ministry's
approval. Non-entitled patients are admitted following a written request from
the patient or his related service personnel, depending on bed availability,
nature of illness and emergency of the patient.
After approval from the commandant, the station
commander sanctions the application for the non-entitled treatment.
Among the well-known faces, external affairs
minister Pranab Mukherjee was treated at R&R for serious injuries suffered
in an accident at Birhattala in Nadia, West Bengal, in April 2007. Speaker
Somnath Chatterjee was there for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Late
former president R Venkatraman was admitted there in January after he complained
of severe dehydration.
Then home secretary VK Duggal was treated
for diarrhoea in 2005. Deputy national security adviser and then defence secretary
Shekhar Dutta was treated for acute lateral myocardial infarction single vessel
disease in November 2006.
Former defence secretary Ajay Prasad was treated
for viral fever when he was civil aviation secretary in May 2006.
Senior defence ministry civil servants getting
treated at the prestigious hospital include Debnath Shaw and Gautam Chatterjee.
