In a positive development, drones will now be used to provide emergency medicines to pilgrims in the higher locales of the Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand.
Further, the pilgrims will also get referral support from AIIMS Rishikesh, Doon and Srinagar Medical Colleges.
Drones have been successfully used for transportation of Covid-19 vaccines in the Northeastern region of the country recently.
The Char Dham – Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri – are located above 10,000 ft in the Garhwal Himalayas in Uttarakhand.
Recently, AIIMS-Rishikesh has started a drone service to deliver and pick medicines.
“A strong referral backend system is being developed with AIIMS Rishikesh, Doon Medical College and Srinagar Medical Colleges acting as tertiary nodes for specialist care. This shall provide an end-to-end clinical treatment for pilgrims’ health,” Union health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday (6 March).
This comes after Uttarakhand Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat met with Mandaviya and requested for support from Union Government for developing a health and emergency infrastructure for the lakhs of pilgrims who undertake the Char Dham yatra every year in the hill state.
Rawat informed the Union Health Minister of the health challenges faced by pilgrims along the strenuous route, and the number of pilgrim deaths in the past few months due to health emergencies such as stroke etc.
Many of these casualties were of pilgrims who suffered from co-morbidities, he added.
Assuring full support from the Centre, Mandaviya said, “The best possible healthcare and health emergency infrastructure will be provided for the visiting pilgrims”.
He informed that a strong network of advance ambulances and stroke vans is planned to ensure that stroke management and treatment can start on way to the health facility.
These ambulances will be stationed at different points on the yatra route, he added.
PG students from medical colleges from across the country are proposed to be deployed as part of strengthened healthcare infrastructure who will act as first responders.
“This experience will also act as a skilling and capacity building exercise for the PG students,” Mandaviya elaborated.