Secy Health reviews conduct of medical care facilities for Amarnath Yatra

Jammu: Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Bhupinder Kumar chaired a meeting to review the preparatory measures for setting up of medical care facilities for smooth conduct and management of this year’s annual amarnath Yatra here on Thursday.
Addl. Chief Executive Officer, ShriAmarnathji Shrine Board briefed about past experiences with regard to conduct of Annual AmarnathYatra.
It was informed that as per past practice approximately 61 Medical Facilities with more than 440 plus bed capacity adequately maintaining average distance enroute have been set up by Health & Medical Education Department, security forces, NGOs, besides deployment of 38 ambulances. These health facilities are well equipped with requisite manpower, machinery and equipments including sufficient quantity of ventilators and medical oxygen capacity. The other medical arrangements and constraints were also thread-barely discussed.
Secretary emphasized that the Annual Amarnath Yatra is an important event, in view of religious and cultural sentiments of the people across the country. As such the provisioning of Health care facilities for pilgrims should be held as the highest priority. Instructions were issued to maintain the availability of men, material and resources as per the past practices and simultaneously explore augmenting these capacities in a best possible manner.
To have a better understanding and need assessment, instructions were issued to have an analysis of time series data of previous yatras on causalities during the yatraviz a viz age groups and altitude. He also stressed the need for use of latest technological interventions such as “e-Sanjeevani and e-Consultation” for the yatris.
Further, directions were issued to initiate the process for procurement of machinery equipments, drug and consumables with the stakeholder departments and demand be placed to the JKMSCL well in advance.
While appreciating the roles of SKIMS in providing territory care medical facilities during Annual yatra, Director, SKIMS was asked to create a dedicated hub of 24×7 Super Specialist tele-consultation through e-Sanjeevani at SKIMS, Srinagar, in addition to the already existing facilities in consultation with MD, NHM and Director, Health Services, Kashmir.
Directions were also issued to carefully requisition demand for drug and consumables to the concerned department in a rational manner. Assessment for manpower should be carefully done keeping in view the duration of yatra. Addl CEO, SASB was directed to ensure that appropriate accommodation are provided to the medical staff during their duties. Further gap analysis should be conducted for involvement of NGOs during the Yatra.
Both the Directorates were asked to provide necessary trainings to the medical staff in handling emergency medical care and use of latest technological interventions such as “tele-Consultation”. Officers concerned in Health and medical Education Department were asked to take up with concerned ministries for necessary support and handholding.
The meeting was attended by Director, SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar, Mission Director, NHM, J&K, Director Health Services Kashmir, Joint Director Planning H&ME among other officers of H&ME Department.