“I was directed by Unit commandant that CH Kashmir, Ftr Hq and Unit MI room avl inside Airforce campus is out of bound for me and my brother and his treatment is refused with immediate effect. I was also directed by unit commandant to send my brother back to hometown”
K Koushal
In an apparent ‘maltreatment’ of an Assistant Commandant (AC) of Border Security Force (BSF), administration at Composite Hospital in Kashmir had allegedly denied treatment to his brother, thus forcing the Assistant Commandant to take his brother to a private clinic in a ‘sensitive’ place like Kashmir, highly placed sources told The Typewriter.
Sources informed that Assistant Commandant, namely Prabhat Chaturvedi has shot a letter to the Director General (BSF) with a copy to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), narrating his ordeal. However, MHA assured that an officer of Joint Secretary level will look into the matter and till the last report a delegation from MHA had already reached the CH Kashmir.
Sharing details of the letter shot by Prabhat Chaturvedi, highly placed sources in the composite hospital said that the Assistant Commandant has apprised the higher officials of the BSF in New Delhi about the alleged maltreatment he has to experience under the hands of concerned DIG.
“My parents passed away before 2017 and my younger brother namely Nitesh Kumar Chaturvedi age 38 years is suffering from Peripheral Vascular disease, resulting gangrene in his left foot great toe,” said sources quoting from the relevant portion of the letter shot to the DG, BSF. Sources added that the letter further reads that to discuss medical treatment of his brother with the doctor, he (AC) visited his home town i.e. Ranchi, wherein multiple opinions were taken .
They said that during the discussion it was concluded that amputation is not necessary at this stage and proper dressing and clinical treatment may cure him. However four deaths had already taken place in his family in recent years including his father due to aftershocks of amputation in multiple stages starting with the great toe itself.
“I had already informed the situation to my unit Commandant and finally on dated 16th Sep 2022 brought my brother to Government quarters allotted to me where I was living with wife and daughter,” said sources quoting the letter, adding “I visited Composite Hospital Kashmir located at the same campus and consulted with Dr Muntakhab Ul Nafae, MS contractual surgeon. She started the treatment on the same day and advised daily dressing and antibiotics.”
Sources added that the letter further stated that there was significant recovery in the wound of his brother and superficially it looked as great recovery within three days. Sources said that the letter added, “There was some family dispute at my home, as my wife was not happy with the stay of my brother for treatment, so she made a complaint against me to DIG/PSO, Ftr HQ Kashmir,” adding, “I received a call from my unit commandant at the same time, wherein he directed me to shift at unit Off-mess with my brother. Next day on 19th Sep 2022, I was directed by Unit commandant that CH Kashmir, Ftr Hq and Unit MI room avl inside Airforce campus is out of bound for me and my brother and his treatment is refused with immediate effect. I was also directed by unit commandant to send my brother back to hometown,”
“I asked about it to the treating doctor Muntakhab Ul Nafae and she said that my brother is seriously ill and if his treatment is stopped, he may die due to lack of caring of wound and poor management of it, so I requested the unit commandant to let him continue his treatment otherwise he may lose his life, but my request was refused,” content of the letter reads sources said, adding next day on 20th Sep 2022, Assistant Commandant sought a vehicle to take his brother to a nearby civil medical health centre but it was refused so he had to go by private auto-rickshaw at Apollo Clinical, Karan Nagar, in a hostile zone like Srinagar.
Sources lamented that though there was some family dispute at the house of Assistant Commandant but once the treatment was started it was unethical to stop it. “Treating doctor was dedicated to treat him in her best capacity but she was forced to stop the treatment by senior officers, despite the fact that she had informed the gravity of the situation. She was also compelled to resign from service and she did so because she believed that refusal of treatment to the dying patient was unethical,” reads the letter, shared sources.
Sources said that the Assistant Commandant in his letter to MHA and DG, BSF has categorically named few senior officers, including concerned DIG of CH Kashmir for allegedly taking this unethical decision and harassment.
Meanwhile, sources said that owing to ‘unruly’ approach of senior officers, Assistant Commandant-Prabhat Chaturvedi was in acute stress, which has been vindicated by Dr Jasjit Singh Sodhi, MD (Psychiatrist), Composite Hospital BSF Srinagar. Sources said that even the doctor Muntakhab Ul Nafae, treating brother of the Assistant Commandant was subjected to ‘harassment’, due to which she had to resign.
“She was the lone surgeon in the CH, Humana, Kashmir. But, the approach of the senior officers of the BSF was not good and she was harassed continuously for demanding better facilities for the patients, who are basically soldiers from different states of India, serving the nation in sensitive place like Kashmir,” said sources, adding that DIG/MED used to ‘insult’ her, which she has clearly mentioned in her resignation letter.
DIG/MED-Dr Umesh Tiwari was reluctant to speak on the matter. “I don’t want to discuss anything over the telephone in this regard,” Dr Umesh Tiwari said.
Talking to The Typewriter, DG-BSF, Pankaj Singh expressed his inability to speak to the media, stating that he will not speak to anyone without knowing the credentials. “I do not know who you are, so I cannot share any information,” DG, BSF said.
When contacted Ministry of Home Affairs, the official, from the office of Joint Secretary, over the phone assured that a proper statement from the concerned administration shall be sought in this regard as treatment cannot be denied to any patient.
When tried to contact concerned doctor of the patient, Dr Muntakhab Ul Nafae, she said that she had resigned from the hospital as a mark of protest against denial of treatment to the patient.
Sources in the Composite Hospital informed that a delegation from Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), including Joint Secretary has arrived at the headquarters, Wednesday. However, sources were not sure about the purpose of the visit.
