Drones will be used to deliver medicines to Char Dham pilgrims during any emergency, according to Health Ministry officials. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri — all 10,000-foot-high pilgrimages in the Garhwal Himalayas — will be covered under the scheme.
“The decision to engage drones to deliver medicines in high-risk areas during an emergency was taken following recognition of the urgent need to offer immediate medical service to those in need,’’ said a senior Health Ministry official.
Higher mortality
There were 120 deaths reported in just 27 days during the Kedarnath yatra in 2022, according to a study conducted by the Government Doon Medical College in Uttarakhand, which was titled, “Mortality at the Kedarnath Pilgrimage Trek in 2022: A Possible Interplay between Post-COVID Syndrome and High-Altitude Mountain Sickness”.
“This mortality is not at par with the previous years’ records which had 90, 102 and 112 deaths in the 6-month travel window for the years 2019, 2018, and 2017, respectively,’’ noted the study, expressing concern about this acute unexpected rise in deaths.
Health infra support
The government is also working on creating a three-layered structure to provide health support and emergency management infrastructure for the pilgrims embarking on the Cham Dham yatra from across the country. This follows Uttarakhand’s request to the Health Ministry seeking emergency support for developing a health and emergency infrastructure for those undertaking the yatra.
The Ministry was also informed of the health challenges faced by pilgrims along the strenuous route, and the number of pilgrim deaths in the past few months due to health emergencies such as strokes. Many of these casualties were pilgrims who suffered from co-morbidities, according to Uttarakhand Health Minister Dhan Singh Rawat.
Drones for health
Previously, drones have been successfully used to transport COVID-19 vaccines in the north eastern part of the country. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Rishikesh has also started a drone service to deliver and pick up medicines.
“These measures will be supported with citizen-friendly communication and awareness activities such as websites or portals to inform pilgrims of weather conditions, importance of acclimatisation, location of health facilities on the way, call centre numbers, pre-yatra screening, emergency support numbers, etc,’’ said the Health Ministry.
