Every day at least a couple of hundred visitors, climbing up Vindhyagiri under the scorching sun, are approaching the temporary health clinics with problems caused due to dehydration.
The Health and Family Welfare Department has set up four clinics including one atop the hills. “Normal complaints are dehydration and low BP. These are quite common among those who climb up so many steps in hot weather,” said B.R. Yuvaraj, Administrative Medical Officer of THE Community Health Centre (CHC) at Shravanabelgola, on Monday.
Each clinic has a doctor, paramedical staff, and lab technicians. “The clinic at the top of the hills has a physician as well,” the officer said.
The clinics have facility to provide ORS and IV saline. The number of patients visiting the CHC has also increased. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also had ORS at a clinic after he climbed up the hill on Saturday.
“On a normal day, the number of patients at the OPD was about 150. Now it has gone up to 300 a day,” Dr. Yuvaraj said.
The staff are also collecting food samples and water samples regularly. Water samples are collected twice a day at all water releasing points. “We are also collecting food samples at all places every day,” Dr.Yuvaraj said.
Six general dining halls and a dining hall in each township have been set up. “We were worried about break out of an epidemic. So far, there are no reports of such a thing,” he said.
