Increasing health disorders among paramilitary personnel have compelled the government to restructure the medical corps, and equip every battalion with a medical officer. The recruitment of five hundred officers has been ordered and the process is likely to be completed within the next couple of months.

Deviating from the existing norm, the new recruits will form a common cadre of paramilitary doctors who may be transferred from one organisation to another. The post of the chief, to be rotated among the different outfits, will also be upgraded from Inspector General to Additional Director General.

Officials cited the escalating cases of suicides and stress in the forces and explained that the decision for more doctors would contribute to improving the physical and mental health of the personnel. In the CRPF alone, thirty cases of suicide deaths, and four incidents of shootouts were reported last year, in which ten personnel were killed.

Health problems, said sources, were even more acute in forces like the Indo-Tibetan Border Police(ITBP) that is tasked with policing the icy Indo-China border. Due to shortage of battalions, a substantial number of soldiers have to spend their entire lifetime posted in the lonely outposts where communication is tardy. The government has decided to sanction 20 more battalions for ITBP and involve the personnel in counter-insurgency duties.

To encourage promising doctors to join, eleven posts of Inspector Generals and thirty-five posts of Deputy Inspector Generals have also been created in the medical corp. The doctors would be enrolled in the three categories of medical officers, specialists and dentists in the ranks of assistant and deputy commandants.

... contd.