The Northern Command of the Indian Army is setting up a robust support system to take care of its former personnel and their families in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in the wake of the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country.

A defence spokesperson said Northern Command chief Lt Gen Y K Joshi has issued necessary directions to the formations for this.

A network of nodal officers has been put into place to ensure that medical support and appropriate care is pro-actively provided to veterans and their families, he said.

The emphasis is on the dictum "one for all and all for one", whereby collective effort becomes the key to success in the war against the second wave of COVID-19, the spokesperson said.

"Strict adherence to protocols and timely medical response in support of patients who get critical is the cornerstone of the Northern Command's strategy", he said.

Contact details of the nodal officers have been widely circulated, the spokesman said.

Helpline numbers shared and publicised through different media are being manned 24x7, he added.