Thaindian News

New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) India is all set to revive a military hospital it operated a decade ago in Tajikistan, a key Central Asian nation bordering Afghanistan.

India’s Armed Forces Medical Services Director General Lt. Gen. H.L. Kakria told reporters here that his force was ready to set up the hospital, but was awaiting orders from the defence ministry in this regard.

“Yes, there is a proposal to set up a military hospital in Tajikistan. We have directions from the headquarters in this regard. We are ready and as soon as we get the orders, we will set it up,” Kakria said here.

He also noted that it will be a full field hospital and India will depute 10 officers and 60 other ranks for the hospital in Tajikistan whenever and wherever it is set up, for which orders are awaited.

Kakria, with Director General Medical Services (Navy) Surgeon Vice Admiral K.M. Suryanarayana and Director General Medical Services (Air) Air Marshal D.P. Joshi, was addressing a press conference to mark the 248th Medical Corps anniversary that falls on Jan 1.

In a first such open admission, he also said the Indian armed forces were operating five field hospitals in Kabul, Khandahar, Herat, Jalalabad and Mazhar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, with medical officers deputed to work there to serve the Afghan locals.

He also noted that his service had set up 91 new field hospital across the country, taking the number to 130. Two new hospital, at Gopalpur and Hissar had been opened in 2011, apart from four new field hospitals in the North Eastern states, as part of improving the military infrastructure in that part of the country.