NATIONAL8 (Spotlight Weekly]

Healthy Development

The British Gurkha Area Welfare Center in Kathmandu will provide additional services to the family of ex-servicemen

By A CORRESPONDENT

When retired British army Maj. Dal Bahadur Gurung entered the refurbished Bagmati Area Welfare Center at Bansbari, he was impressed by what he saw.

For retired British pensioners like Gurung, there is good reason for rejoicing. The center aims to provide modern medical facilities to former British Gurkha soldiers as part a wider welfare scheme.

Inaugurated by General Sir Sam Cowan, the 40-block facility was refurbished at a cost of Rs. 3,168,000. According to the Gurkha Welfare Service (GWS), this facility is for the sole use of British Gurkha ex-servicemen and their dependants who referred from outlying districts as part of the GWS Key Hospital Scheme.

Over the last three decades, the GWS has launched different welfare programs for retired Gurkha. The facility in the Bagmati center is the first of its kind in the central region. The center includes a free health clinic five days a week.

The GWS provides health services for ex-servicemen in hospitals in different parts of the country. According to GWS officials, the center has spent Rs. 6,156,086 to treat 6,563 retired servicemen and their family members.

In recent months, the British government has taken additional measures for the welfare of retired soldiers.

"The excellent work done by the GWS, exemplified by this outstanding center, should not be viewed in isolation of other beneficial changes to the package provided to our ex-servicemen and their dependants," Cowman said in an address to the inauguration ceremony.

"I assure you that the commitment of the United Kingdom -be it the Ministry of Defence, the Brigade of Gurkhas or the Gurkha Welfare Trust - to our ex-servicemen is absolute," he added.

After the recent increase in pensions, ranging between 107 and 185 percent, the British government is paying greater attention to well-being of former Gurkha soldiers who have returned to Nepal.

Under the welfare scheme, seven major community projects have been completed in the central region at a cost of Rs. 2,346,175.

"This will definitely benefit a large number of ex-servicemen living in Kathmandu and also from other parts of the country who need further referral treatment in the valley's hospitals," said Maj. Gurung.

Under the welfare scheme, many ex-service receive hardship aid, medical and education grants and other forms of assistance.

The center has provided different grants to 6,952 ex-servicemen and their dependants. The center's report shows that 6,463 ex-servicemen received Rs. 6,156,086 in medical grants alone.

The Bagmati Area Welfare Center is the flagship for 2,324 area welfare centers located throughout the country. It has been extensively refurbished, specifically by providing an integrated facility for the GWS Medical Scheme.