The Defence Ministry has issued an order to the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (DGAFMS) for the recruitment of 400 retired medical officers of the Army Medical Corps (AMC) and the Short Service Commission (SSC), amid the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Medical officer released between 2017 and 2021 are expected to be recruited on a contract basis for a maximum period of 11 months, a Ministry statement said.
The order dated May 08, 2021, stated that a fixed monthly lump sum amount would be admissible by deducting the basic pension from the salary drawn at the time of retirement plus specialist pay wherever applicable. The amount would remain unchanged for the term of the contract and no other allowances would be paid. The medical officers to be recruited are required to be medically fit as per civilian standards.
As part of efforts to assist the civil administration in COVID-19 management, the AFMS has already deployed additional doctors, including specialists, super specialists and paramedics, at various hospitals, while short service commissioned doctors of the AFMS have been granted extension till December 31, 2021, which has augmented the strength by 238 more doctors.
Aid from S. Korea, U.K.
In a separate development, emergency medical supplies arrived from South Korea and the United Kingdom.
A consignment of 30 oxygen concentrators and 200 oxygen cylinders arrived in Delhi from South Korea.“I hope this supply will be helpful to ease the COVID-19 emergency situation in India. The Korean government will continue to work closely with the Indian Government in responding to the unfolding challenges amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Shin Bongkil, South Korean Ambassador in India, after receiving the supplies.
In two flights, South Korea is sending 230 oxygen concentrators, 200 oxygen cylinders with regulators and 100 negative pressure isolation stretchers. The second flight is scheduled to arrive on May 12, the South Korean Embassy said in a statement. The supplies will be donated to the Indian Red Cross Society, it said.
“These 1st and 2nd consignments of medical items account for around 20% of the whole support plan, and Korea will send more medical supplies as soon as it secures the supplies and flight schedule,” the statement said.
In addition, a consignment of three oxygen generators and 1,000 ventilators arrived from the U.K. Each generator has a capacity to produce 500 litres of O2/min, enough to treat 50 people at a time, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Twitter.
(EOM)
