Uttarakhand government has invited doctors from other states to serve pilgrims as it puts in place more than 50 health checkup and screening points enroute chardham shrines and Hemkunt Sahib.

State health department has also embarked upon to set up health ATMs and create special facilities for the pilgrims at Kedarnath shrine area.

State health secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar informed that the Uttarakhand government has sought support from the doctors of other states willing to serve the pilgrims coming to Uttarakhand. Kumar said his counterparts across states have been written to provide the details of medical practitioners who are willing to serve chardham pilgrims in Uttarakhand this season starting from May 10.

It is significant that pilgrims’ deaths have been a matter of concern for the state government every season. More than 210 chardham pilgrims died in 2023 owing to extreme climatic conditions, cardiac arrests, pulmonary issues and other ailments. More than 300 pilgrims died in 2022 as the pilgrimage regained momentum after a gap of two years due to Covid 19 epidemic.

“Doctors from other states had expressed willingness to provide their services during Chardham pilgrimage in Uttarakhand. Seeing this, state health departments have written letters to the health secretaries of other states seeking details of the medical practitioners willing to serve in the Chardham pilgrimage 2025. This arrangement will be in addition to the doctors medical staff to be deployed by the Uttarakhand government. A comprehensive medical support system, teams of the doctors and staff will be put in place before the pilgrimage season takes off,” said Dr Kumar.

The Health Secretary shared that 50 screening points have been set up for medical examinations of the pilgrims and provide services to them. The screening points have been created with the registration centres for the pilgrims on the way to Chardham shrines. According to Dr Kumar, pilgrims will be examined on 28 parameters including high blood pressure and diabetes as decided by the state health department.

The Health Secretary further stated that the government has also decided to install health ATMs on chardham routes. Chief Medical Officers and Chief (CMOs) and Chief Medical Superintendents in all the districts have been duly informed. “Pilgrims will get maximum examination facilities for a host of health parameters in the health ATMs for well trained technical staff who have been deployed at these halts ” he added.

Dr Kumar stressed that medical relief points for pilgrims have also been upgraded over their previous facilities. This time, besides doctors and other medical staff, the department will also deploy ‘Swasthya Mitras’ (medical friends) to take care of other needs of the pilgrims. Necessary medicine stocks, oxygen cylinders and other equipment will soon be made available at all the relief points. Needed strength of doctors and half a dozen trained medical teams have already been deployed in the medical relief posts.

The State health department has given special focus on the Kedarnath route. Apart from 10 medical relief posts, two primary healthcare centres (PHCs) have also been set up here. Two hospitals have also been raised in the Kedarnath temple area.