MoHFW, JK Health deptt holds national review meet on annual Amarnath Yatra in Srinagar

Srinagar : The Department of Health & Medical Education, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), conducted the national review meeting for Annual Amarnath Yatra here on Saturday.
The key stakeholders, senior officials and experts attended the meeting to review the past experiences, discuss preparedness and enhance the coordination framework for medical services during the forthcoming Annual Amarnath Yatra..
Secretary, Health & Medical Education (H&ME), Dr. Syed Abid Rashid Shah, who chaired the crucial meeting, highlighted the government’s commitment towards ensuring a robust healthcare system for the pilgri
He emphasized the need for streamlining the process of issuance of Compulsory Health Certificates to the pilgri He asked for putting in efforts to ensure that the certificates are issued only after thoroughly assessing the health status of the intending pilgrim. This measure will help in curbing the morbidity and mortality rate, save numerous lives, he added.
Secretary Health also appreciated the states for deputing specialists and medical officers for Annual Amarnath Yatra duties over the years. He expressed hope that the states and the Government of India institutions depute the staff as per the requisitioned numbers for the forthcoming Yatra 2025. He focused on the requirement of Cardiologists, Respiratory Physicians and Anesthetists.
The meeting was followed by release of the Yatra Booklet and distribution of certificates of appreciation among the States and MoHFW.
The States/MoHFW Institutions that participated included Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Telangana, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and West Bengal.
Prominent national level institutions who participated in the meeting included AIIMS of New Delhi, Raipur, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar Patna, Bhopal and Rishikesh, PGIMER Chandigarh, JIPMER Puducherry as well as Banaras Hindu University Medical College, RML Hospital, LHMC, Safdergung Hospitals, New Delhi and Aligarh Muslim University Medical College.
Additionally, SKIMS Medical College and Government Medical Colleges of Jammu, Srinagar, Anantnag participated in the meet.
The meeting featured a comprehensive overview of Emergency Medical Response (EMR) activities presented by Dr. L Swasticharan, Additional DDG & Director EMR, MoHFW. He outlined the emergency response strategies and best practices.
Dr. Sujata Chaudhary, Additional Director General Health Services, MoHFW, further elaborated on national level coordination efforts to enhance the medical response mechanisms for Amarnath Yatra.