New Delhi: A dramatic rescue operation by a multipronged team of defence personnel earlier this week ensured that a young soldier whose left hand was severed in an accident in Ladakh could undergo timely surgery in which the hand was reattached.
Sources in the defence establishment said that on the night of 9 April, the soldier was severely wounded while operating a machine in the challenging terrain of Ladakh. His left hand was chopped off in the accident.
His compatriots tied a band to his wounded arm to stem the bleeding, put the severed part in a bag of ice, and swiftly evacuated him to the Military Garrison Hospital in Leh.
At the hospital, Army doctors stabilised him but soon realised the severed hand could only be stitched back by specialist surgeons.
Another swift decision was made, to transport the young soldier to the Army Hospital Research and Referral (AHRR) in Delhi for advanced medical care. Since a quick flight out of Leh was critical, the IAF was roped in.
Given a window of six to eight hours for emergency surgery to save his appendage, an IAF C-130J aircraft was launched within an hour to move the jawan to Delhi. The aircraft landed in Leh in the middle of the night using night vision systems.
The amputated hand was preserved in a cold container by Army doctors.
Upon landing in Delhi within hours, the soldier was taken to AHRR from Palam Technical Area under medical supervision. This coordination ensured that he received the necessary care at the earliest.
At AHRR, the soldier underwent an emergency and complex nine-hour surgery for the reimplantation of his hand, including the amputated thumb and index finger.
This challenging procedure was successfully performed by a team of skilled Army doctors. The soldier is currently stable and under intensive care.
(Edited by Tikli Basu)
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