FRONT PAGE | Saturday, May 1, 2010
20 days after SC order, ex-Brigadier gets medical aid
Staff Reporter | New Delhi
The cry of a decorated officer, put behind bars four years ago on charges of espionage with no trial, has somewhat been heard. Following the report in The Pioneer on Friday, Brigadier (Retd) Ujjal Dasgupta, imprisoned in Tihar Jail, was on Friday afternoon admitted to AIIMS for a complete medical investigation. Dasgupta and his friends have been campaigning for proper medical help in the face of the former’s deteriorating health condition.
The Supreme Court had granted permission to Dasgupta for a medical review at AIIMS. While the order was made almost 20 days ago, it was executed only on Friday after The Pioneer carried the news report on the denial of medical facilities to him.
Sources said that Dasgupta will be put on several rounds of medical tests by a committee of doctors at AIIMS during the next few days and then a decision about the heart surgery, if needed, will be taken shortly. Dasgupta had been seeking medical attention to his deteriorating health condition for the past several months. As per his health conditions, Dasgupta will have to undergo a second bypass surgery which, according to medical experts, involves too much risk to the life of the patient.
Sources said that Dasgupta needs to undergo coronary angiography at an ECHS-empanelled hospital which can manage cardiac emergency in case it arises during the procedure. “His stamina would need to be built up for the redo CABG, if indicated, through a good diet, rest and absence of stress. For the redo CABG, it is the patient’s fundamental right to go to an ECHS-empanelled hospital of his choice. Such a choice would be based on an evaluation of the facilities and surgeons available at various hospitals,” said a doctor who conducted a few tests on Dasgupta during the routine medical examination at the RR Hospital.
In his last medical review at the RR Hospital in January 2010, Dasgupta was advised repeat angiography. “Patient has a walking through and rest angina. CT angiography shows significant LCx/RCA/OM disease and all occluded grafts. It is felt in the interest of the patient that he should undergo angiography followed by a redo CABG at an ECHS-empanelled hospital of his choice where a high volume of redo CABGs are being done,” said a remark of the RR Hospital dated January 27, 2010.
As per his medical history, Dasgupta, now 64, had a massive heart attack in November 1988 and had a coronary artery bypass graft surgery at AIIMS. He again developed complications in October 2003 for which his coronary angiography was done in Escorts. The following year, the brigadier was put on drugs lifelong and the Delhi High Court allowed his treatment at Army’s Research and Referral Hospital. His condition deteriorated in November 2009 and the findings of ARRH was that the “patient has worsening chest pain on exertion and even at rest. Advised to undergo CT angiography”.
Dasgupta along with three other accused was arrested in 2006. The co-accused Shiv Shankar Paul (38), a systems analyst at the National Security Council Secretariat, his superior officer Commander Mukesh Saini (58) who had retired on March 31, 2006, and Brigadier Ujjal Dasgupta (64), head of the computer section of Research & Analysis Wing, were also accused of espionage and booked under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly passing on information to Rosanna Minchew (31), an American diplomat. Dasgupta, while deputed in the R&AW, was arrested on July 19, while Paul was arrested on June 11 in 2006. Saini was also picked up by the investigators on July 6. Dasgupta was involved in project - Anveshak, a software developed for R&AW by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) as well as the Army. Army has since clarified that the software developed was not classified. The trial is yet to begin in the case.
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