The Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Tuesday said it has assigned a delegation to probe the “bad condition” of Sardar Daud 400-bed Military Hospital in Kabul following a series of complaints from a number of wounded soldiers and their families.

According to the MoD, the finance department of the ministry was ordered to address the requirements of the hospital in terms of medicines.

“A high-ranking delegation was tasked to investigate the condition at the 400-bed hospital (Sardar Daud Military Hospital) to find out what medicines is not available there. The head of the finance department was ordered to provide the money for them (hospital staff) who would then purchase the required medicine from outside the facility,” said Dawlat Waziri, the Defense Ministry spokesman.

Dana Gul, a soldier, said he has been looking after his colleague who lost his sight when he sustained injuries in a battle against militants in northern Badakhshan province.

He said some hospital doctors had asked his comrade to buy medicine which was not available at the facility.

“When relatives of (military) generals call, they order hospital officials to give them the best medicines, but no one is there to hear the soldier who is asked to bring medicine from outside the hospital. I am also an army soldier,” he said, complaining about “inattention of medical staff and a lack of medicine” at the hospital.  

“There is no justification to ask a wounded officer to pay money for his medical treatment. Government is responsible to ensure their treatment free of charge. Government is responsible to ensure their treatment either inside or outside the country,” said Mohsin Mukhtar, a former military officer. 

This comes after the former commander of US forces in Afghanistan Gen. John Campbell said Afghanistan was losing about 4,000 soldiers per month, but the majority of those come from soldiers abandoning their posts due to poor leadership in the ministries of defense and interior, not from casualties on the battlefields.