Looking into the loss of lives along the Yatra route due to dwindling health condition of devotees, it becomes vital that people should not take things lightly and go for thorough medical check-up before deciding to pursue the annual Amarnath Yatra which has been commenced from June 30, 2022 and shall remain continued till the Raksha Bandhan Day on August 11, 2022. The reports coming from the route of Amarnath Yatra are startling because within one week’s time already four people have died to due questionable health condition thus putting a big question mark on the health practitioners also who had given them the nod to go for one of the holiest pilgrimages of Hindus in the country. It has been time and again advised to the pilgrims not to take undue risk as far as those people are concerned who have comorbidities or any other health related issues because the terrain is difficult and the height of the path is so much so that breathlessness is a common sight. At times it becomes difficult for the devotees to even breathe normally due to higher altitude of mountains through which the Yatra track passes amid south Kashmir Himalayas. It is very common thing that devotees get ill during the Yatra and that is the reason that Shri Amarnath Shrine Board and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir used to establish health facilities along the Yatra route at regular intervals with specialized tests, treatment and consultation of specialists being offered free of cost but the people at times take it for granted and try to dodge the authorities by producing manipulated health reports which is unwarranted and do cause problems and even proved fatal. The reports are confirming that among the five devotees who have succumbed along the Yatra route, four have health issues, which is a serious matter because these lives could have been saved had the medical practitioners who have conducted their medical check-up taken things seriously. The role of the doctors is also very significant in saving lives during Yatra period because they should not take a lenient view while giving nod to people to go for the Yatra as it involves a precious human life.
