Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
SRINAGAR: Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi’s second largest hospital, in coordination with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Into-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), other central security agencies and the Jammu and Kashmir Police would be providing the most modern telemedicine facility to Shri Amarnathji Shrine pilgrims this year.
Authoritative sources disclosed to STATE TIMES that incharge of the telemedicine department at Indraprastha Apollo Vikram Thaploo has discussed and finalised the installation of the telemedicine facility with the help of satellite and Internet for thousands of the pilgrims who would be visiting the holy cave for 40 days from June 29 this year. Sources said that the CRPF top brass played key role in motivating Apollo Hospital to put in place its state-of-the-art medical facility around the holy cave.
A Gujarat-based NGO had for the first time set up its telemedicine facility on the yatra track last year.
Director of Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) Dr Abdul Gani Ahangar, on Wednesday offered an existing facility of his tertiary care hospital to coordinate with the telemedicine facility of Apollo Hospital. At a high level meeting at headquarters of the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board at Rajbagh, Dr Ahangar assured the participants that a particular number of beds, with ventilators and other life-saving equipments, besides the hospital’s helipad would remain every time ready to receive and treat the pilgrims during the yatra period.
The meeting, presided over by Chief Executive Officer of SASB Umang Narula, took stock of the security and healthcare related arrangements and took decisions so as to ensure reduction of death rate and the best possible facilities to the pilgrims. As per a decision, authorities would request IGP Traffic Jagjit Kumar to specially create and provide a green corridor for quick transportation of patients from different stations on the yatra route to SKIMS, SMHS and other hospitals in the summer capital.
Governor Narendra Nath Vohra is understood to have conveyed his displeasure to the State authorities over the number of the pilgrims who died either en route or at SKIMS and SMHS in the last two years allegedly due to “poor” medical facilities.
Commissioner-Secretary Health & Medical Education Dr Pawan Kotwal, IGP Kashmir Munir Ahmad Khan, IG BSF Kashmir (Frontier) Sonali Mishra, DIG SSB Rajinder Bhumla, Director SKIMS Dr AG Ahangar, Director Health Services Kashmir Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman, Director Health Services Jammu, Dr Gurjeet Singh, Sector CMO ITBP Dr Rayees, Colonel Medical 15 Corps Jay Prakash and other senior officers of different departments and organisations participated in the meeting.
The meeting decided that concerned officials would ensure landing of helicopter at the holy cave helipad for ferrying ailing pilgrims. It was pointed out in the meeting that the authorities had in the last few years permitted only the helicopters carrying the VVIP pilgrims and officers to land and take off at the helipad near the holy cave while as other helicopters operating for carriage of the ailing pilgrims had not been allowed to land on account of “ecological issues”.
The telemedicine facilities would operate from Sheshnag and Baltal.