Dehradun: Uttarakhand Health Secretary, Dr R Rajesh Kumar, announced on Sunday that new hospitals will be operational in Badrinath and Kedarnath before the Chardham Yatra to provide pilgrims with immediate medical care during the Yatra.
He added that to ensure the well-being of pilgrims, experienced medical teams trained for high-altitude work will be deployed along the Chardham Yatra route.
Kumar appealed to pilgrims to get health checkups before starting the Chardham Yatra.
"Hospitals will be opened in Badrinath and Kedarnath before the Chardham Yatra. Approval has been received from the cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to purchase equipment for these hospitals. Apart from this, medical teams experienced and trained to work in the high Himalayas are being deployed on the Chardham Yatra route so that the pilgrims can get immediate health services. I appeal to the pilgrims to get their health tested before the Chardham Yatra," he said.
Health Secretary Kumar said that preparations for Chardham Yatra are going on at a fast pace and coordination is being done from all departments.
He added, a dedicated medical team of around 150 people will be deployed for the Chardham Yatra and Doctors will be assigned 15-day rotations to ensure continuity of care.
"As per the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and Health Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, the department has started preparations for the Chardham Yatra. An important meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Radha Raturi regarding Chardham Yatra. Important instructions were received from the Chief Secretary. Due to which all preparations for Chardham Yatra are going on at a fast pace. Coordination is being done from all departments. Everyone will work as a team. This time a medical team of about 150 people will be deployed in Chardham for the convenience of the pilgrims. This team will be given training to work in high altitude. Doctors will be deployed for 15 days each," he said.
According to the Health Secretary, "This time the department will not give postings to Chardham to the doctors posted in Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi. Instead, doctors and medical staff will be deployed from Kumaon and other districts."
According to Dr Kumar, pilgrims on the Chardham route will undergo thorough health examinations at various checkpoints along the way, with a special focus on screening at the beginning of their journey, adding that thorough health examinations will be conducted before pilgrims are allowed to proceed further.
"During the Chardham Yatra, arrangements are being made for health check-ups for the pilgrims at various places on the route. This time, a special focus will be placed on the screening of pilgrims from the initial phase. The health of the patients will be thoroughly examined at the health point on the Chardham Yatra route. After that, they will be allowed to proceed further," he said.
"I appeal to the travellers that they are welcome to Devbhoomi but they must get their health checked before travelling. Heart and blood pressure patients, as well as pregnant women, should travel only after getting their health checked. The department will maintain the health records of the passengers. If the pilgrim faces any inconvenience anywhere, then he should get himself checked. Travel only when the weather is favourable," he added.
Recognizing the difficulties faced by pilgrims due to language barriers, Health Secretary R Rajesh Kumar said that SOPs (standard operating procedures) with health guidelines will be issued in 11 languages (including Hindi and English) to ensure clear communication for all pilgrims.
"During the Chardham Yatra, devotees come from all over the country as well as from foreign countries, but it is often seen that due to the absence of health guidelines in their local language, devotees sometimes face difficulties in understanding the guidelines. it occurs. In view of this, the Health Department took a big initiative last year and issued SOPs in 9 other languages apart from Hindi and English. The same thing will happen this time as well; SOP will be issued in a total of 11 languages. Due to this, devotees coming from other states will be able to get health-related guidelines and information in their own language. This will help them understand the guidelines completely," he said.
As per the Uttarakhand tourism official website, the Char Dham Yatra, or pilgrimage, is a tour of four holy sites - Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. In Hindi, 'char' means four and 'dham' refers to religious destinations.
"The high-altitude shrines remain shut for around six months every year, opening in summer (April or May) and closing with the onset of winter (October or November). It is believed that one should complete the Char Dham Yatra in a clockwise direction. Hence, the pilgrimage starts from Yamunotri, proceeds towards Gangotri, onto Kedarnath, and finally ends at Badrinath. The journey can be completed by road or by air (helicopter services are available). Some devotees even do a Do Dham Yatra or a pilgrimage to two shrines--Kedarnath and Badrinath," as per the Uttarakhand tourism official website. —ANI
