Srinagar: A family of Pune Maharashtra has thanked Army for help and saving lives their two wards Ladakh who had gone there as tourists.
“My son Sujeet an daughter Surabhi went to Leh Pangong Tso Lake two days ago. Immediately after landing in Leh ( without even an hour of acclimatization) they hired a heavy mountain bike and travelled about 80 km uphill,” said Dr Anant S Bhagwat adding that both of them developed high altitude sickness and son Sujeet developed pulmonary oedema and started spraying blood while breathing.
They, Dr Bhagwat said, somehow managed to convey distress message to me in Pune from an Army field outpost. “I immediately contacted my Lt. Col Sanjeev Jamwal and Rajpal Negi posted in Ladakh. “ I was amazed at the lightning speed at which they acted organized everything through their well oiled network/communications and got them admitted to 153 Army Hosp Ladakh,” he said adding that in vicinity there are no civil/private hospitals catering to such medical emergencies in Ladakh.
Dr Bhagwat said that he probably impatiently, perhaps over anxiously, hit the panic button too early and asked for help and believe me, within no time, General VK Singh (former COAS & currently MOS Roads & surface transport & MOS civil aviation), Lt. General YK Joshi (former GOC northern command) Lt General Madhuri Kanetkar (former commandant AFMC) Major General Abhijit Pendharkar, Brig Sanjay Mishra (ophthalmic surgeon – Army hospital-Delhi Cant.) acted fast and pulled out Sujeet to safety of life.
“Hopefully he will be discharged tomorrow and both will be reaching Pune on 26th July, my birthday,” he said. “ These gods in uniform have given me the most precious birthday gift of my life so far.”
“Bhagwats are overwhelmed and indebted to the magnanimous because Sujeet and Surabhi did not follow the rules and norms of acclimatization, but were treated first and informed about the regulations of high altitude,” he said adding that most humane Indian army on the face of this earth.