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Char Dham yatra pilgrims to share medical history during online registration
The move comes after the record death toll of pilgrims during the Char Dham yatra which crossed the 300 mark in 2022
The Uttarakhand government has directed the health officials to collect the medical history of the pilgrims during the online registration process to ensure that the ailing ones are provided healthcare during Char Dham yatra that is scheduled to start from April 22.
The move comes after the record death toll of pilgrims during the Char Dham yatra which crossed the 300 mark in 2022.
Chief secretary SS Sandhu in a meeting held at the secretariat in Dehradun on Friday evening on strengthening the healthcare system during the Char Dham Yatra said, “ The medical history of the pilgrims should be accounted for during the registration for Char Dham yatra and the medical staff should examine the health of the pilgrims above the age of 55 years while people below 55 who seem to be unwell should also be medically examined”.
Directions have also been issued that the pilgrims who have registered for the yatra should be provided information about the health problems that they are likely to face due to tough geographical terrain and all the do’s and don’ts should be made available to the pilgrims in this regard on a priority basis
The state government has also sent a proposal to the Union government to provide an air ambulance facility to airlift the ailing pilgrims to the higher medical centres without any time delay to mitigate the fatalities during the Char Dham yatra.
State health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said, “The government has completed preparations for the Char Dham Yatra that is starting from April 22 and the proposal for an air ambulance to airlift the injured and medical ailing pilgrims from Char Dham shrine to higher medical centres has been approved by the Union government.”
He said the state government and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh will jointly operate the air ambulance and will ferry the ailing pilgrims, especially on the Kedarnath yatra route to AIIMS Rishikesh or Srinagar Medical College by air ambulance for speedy treatment.
The number of medical relief camps on the Kedarnath and Yamunotri tracks will be increased and the directions have been given to encourage hotel and Dharamshala operators to arrange and deploy the first responders from the paramedical staff during the yatra season.
Over 300 people died during the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand last year with the state government stating that 80 per cent of deaths were due to medical ailments, of which the number of cardiac arrest cases was the highest, especially among the elderly pilgrims.
DD Chaudhry, member, central working committee of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Uttarakhand said, “The Indian Medical Association Uttarakhand has over 2,500 registered members in the state and can contribute to providing better health facilities during the Yatra season but are never consulted in the matter.”
“The private medical colleges in the state can be roped in to provide well-trained medical staff on the yatra route and standby air ambulance, especially at Kedarnath and Yamunotri should be placed with utmost priority,” he added.
Dehradun-based social activist Anoop Nautiyal said, “Over 300 deaths were reported during the Char Dham yatra last year of which 99 were in first 25 days of the start of the yatra and 80 per cent were due to medical ailments. The high number of deaths was due to pilgrims rushing to Char Dham shrines without acclimatising themselves to the difficult geographical terrain.”
“The pilgrim during the registration process itself should be advised to acclimatise themselves and adapt at lower heights in the state for a few days before embarking on the Char Dham yatra journey which would lead to reducing fatalities,” he said.
He said the devotees should also avoid carrying infants and small children to the shrines involving difficult pedestrian treks such as Kedarnath and Yamunotri.
Chief medical officer of Chamoli district, Dr Rajeev Sharma said, “12 health kiosks which are similar to health ATM will be set up in the district of which two will be at Badrinath and one each at Joshimath, Pipal Koti, Gopeshwar, Pandukehswar, Govind Ghat, Ghangria, Joshimath, and Gauchar. All kinds of medical tests including blood pressure etc will be conducted through these kiosks in the district”.
The elderly pilgrims have been advised to bring their old medical reports and they will be advised to take up the yatra after a thorough checkup, he said.
The district administration in Rudraprayag is ensuring the arrangement of warm drinking water on the mule track at Yammunotri and Kedarnath track and has also decided to provide nutritious feed for the well-being of mules and horses operating during the Char Dham yatra.
According to the health department officials, adequate arrangements of doctors, specialist doctors, and Oxygen cylinders in the health camp and the medical staff from medical colleges will be deployed during the yatra season.
