The LDF has been providing support and leisure services to its members, albeit with a tight budget, aimed on the life's improvement for Soldiers and their families. The army provides free and discounted recreation to military personnel and their families Beyond salary, transport and meals, there are other valuable and free services offered to the family members of armed men. The services aim to help families in the absence of military partners when deployed at forward bases or abroad on various missions including courses.
WELFARE SERVICES
The LDF welfare service is solely a command initiative to ensure that serving members and their families get necessary support. Basically the vision of the LDF regarding welfare of its members is to provide soldiers and their families' excellent quality programs and services. The services are aimed at boosting morale and resilience in order for them to cope with the demands and pressures of military duties.
HOUSING SERVICES
Our army provides housing services to the members though to a limited degree against an ideal plan to provide for everyone. For some reasons the army has not been able to build more houses to answer for the growing number of the organizational members, both the service quarters for families and bachelors' residence. Due to limited space for families, those who stay within the barracks have to apply and the applications are admitted on merits. The bachelors are advised to seek accommodation to rent in convenient places The military barracks provide secure environment and has strict rules governing the members and their families. When house occupants, whether the service personnel or members of their family, fail to abide by the standing orders guiding the expected behaviour they may be subjected to harsh punishments or evacuating from the service quarters.
The decisions are based on the facts after investigations to establish the cause of misconduct and thereby determining the severity of the punishment.
MILITARY MEDICAL SUPPORT
The Lesotho Defence Force provides medical support service to ensure the safety of army personnel everywhere particularly in the war zone. However, under normal circumstances individual soldiers are capable of attending to minor injuries since they acquired first aid skills in their initial training at recruitment stage.
The first aiders are, among others, capable of applying a tourniquet, maintenance of an airway to help a casualty breathe. The military hospital has further trained Medics and attaches them to the infantry battalions, during deployment, who carries additional medical equipment.The Medics, other than first help, prioritises patients for evacuation according to medical need.
The military hospital has its focus to combating the prevalence of HIV/AIDs in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
It has been conducting studies and providing education to create awareness to service members to reduce the high numbers of new HIV/AIDs infection. The initiative has proven a success due to decreasing numbers of AIDS related cases, following the 2017 study conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, sponsored by the US.
NON MILITARY MEDICAL SERVICE
The LDF provides free medical support service for families of service members, while extended family members have to pay limited fees. Extended family members' services are conditional hence why formal application with valid reasons have to be submitted to the office of LDF Medical Health Services for consideration.
Free services are further extended to the members of the Ministry of Defence and other security sectors. However, the members of the community are offered services although in emergency situations before they are transferred to civilian medical services.
