Umaisar Gull Ganie
Tangdhar, Sep 25: Deep beneath the rugged terrain of Tangdhar along the Line of Control (LoC), an underground operation theatre is providing a secure and specialised setting for critical medical care in one of North Kashmir’s shelling-prone frontier zones.
Brigadier Sanjay Kumar Mishra, Head of Ophthalmology at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), Delhi Cantonment, while talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) said, “Army uses the facility regularly and its being utilised for the first time on such a scale for a surgical outreach camp.”
“This is our 10th outreach camp, a mega surgical outreach camp. The camp at Tangdhar is part of this initiative,” Brigadier Mishra said.
“By yesterday, we had completed 110 surgeries, while around 60 surgeries have been completed today. Around 88 patients are listed for today, and combining both phases, more than 200 surgeries are expected to be completed,” he said.
On the underground operation theatre, Brigadier Mishra said it provides an added layer of protection given Tangdhar’s location in a border area vulnerable to shelling.
“The Army regularly uses this underground operation theatre because this is a border area where there is a risk of shelling. It is a very well-equipped operation theatre,” he said.
He said transporting sophisticated medical equipment and supplies to Tangdhar remains a challeng due to the difficult terrain and long travel time from Srinagar.
“The nearest airport is Srinagar, and it takes around six to eight hours to reach here. Large trucks can take even longer. Sophisticated equipment has to be transported very carefully to prevent any damage,” he said.
Brigadier Mishra said the Army would continue organising medical and surgical outreach camps in remote and border areas.
“The Army stands with the people and the local population. Such surgical camps will continue to be organised in the future as well,” he said—(KNO)
