Delhi’s Base Hospital chief transferred, move surprises many, Army calls it routine

Army terms the transfer of Base Hospital Commandant Major General Vasu Vardhan as a routine posting carried out as part of a larger HR management plan.

A file photo of the Army Base Hospital in New Delhi. | Photo: ANI

New Delhi: In a move that has surprised many, the commandant of the Army Base Hospital in the national capital has been transferred out even as the establishment is in the thick of the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Major General Vasu Vardhan was moved out to the Army Research and Referral Hospital in Delhi as additional officer on 10 May.

Major General S.K. Singh, who was the deputy commandant at the Army Medical Corps Centre and College in Lucknow, has replaced Vardhan at the Army Base Hospital.

The transfer order, issued by the Directorate General of Medical Services (Army), came as a surprise since Maj Gen Vardhan had service until August this year. He is a pulmonologist, who is considered within the military’s medical fraternity as a very able officer.

Senior Army sources termed the transfer as a routine posting carried out as part of a larger plan of HR management within the Armed Forces Medical Services. They also pointed out the officer has completed tenure of 18 months. However, speculation persisted on the nature of the move.

Unexpected move

Serving and retired officers ThePrint spoke to said the decision was unexpected in the middle of the Covid crisis when the Base Hospital has been performing well.

A former Army commander also expressed shock, saying that the transfer just months before his retirement as “additional officer” showed that the move was not routine. “You don’t change the Captain of the ship in the middle of a war or a Corps Commander when he is in confrontation with the enemy,” the ex-officer said on condition of anonymity.

The Base Hospital is one of the most sought after Covid care centres and all admissions are given on the basis of criticality of the patient.