Divisional Control Room ensuring hassle-free health services to yatris

Srinagar, July 15: The Divisional Control Room of the Health Department Kashmir is ensuring hassle-free health services, monitoring drug requirements and receiving emergency calls from the yatris as part of the ongoing 62 days Amarnath Yatra.
Last week, the control room received a direct call from a yatri during the night hours. He had lost contact with his family and then he was helped to connect with the family.
Spokesperson Directorate of Health Services Kashmir, Dr Mir Mushtaq said this year the department has put in place additional measures and extended better healthcare facilities.
“The 24/7 control room is monitoring the facilities, manning of manpower, logistics, injuries and dissemination of that information to the concerned quarters,” he said.
“The control room is also the platform where the doctors and paramedical staff and other stakeholders can also call for any kind of help. They also call in case there is a need of any drug or if there is need to refill oxygen cylinders,” Mir said.
“If there is shortage of any medicine the concerned people at the health facilities meant for yatra alert the control room and within no time the same is made available,” he said.
On the other side the control room daily gets the data of the patients who are received at the health care facilities in the OPDs and IPDs and how many of them were referred.
“In addition the control room also receives direct calls from the yatris and it also has a WhatsApp group in place which works 24/7,” the spokesperson said.
Control room that runs at the Old Secretariat in Srinagar, there are super specialists and date entry operators who keep monitoring the situation.
“The control also keeps direct liaison with the concerned station heads. It also coordinates with the doctors and paramedical staff posted for the yatra duties,” he said.
The health department Kashmir has prioritized the conduct of Amarnath Yatra. A concerted effort has been made to make all possible efforts to reduce casualties and to make the annual yatra a safe and secure journey for the pilgrims.
Doctors who are part of the Yatra said it is held in peak summer and because of high altitudes, weather remains unpredictable as temperatures can fall.
Doctors said there are some emergencies related to high altitude caused by reduced air pressure and lower oxygen levels at high altitudes including high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and High altitude cerebral edema (HACE).
Notably, this year, a total 55 medical stations have been set up by the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir enroute to Amarnath Yatra both at Pahalgam and Baltal side.
All the healthcare facilities in the vicinity of transit routes have adequate emergency response systems in place including adequate manpower round the clock.
Mir said the oxygen manifold system is functional at Sonamarg, Baltal, Holy Cave, Lower Holy Cave, Panjtarni, Sheshnag and Civil Hospital Pahalgam.
Further, tertiary care facilities like SKIMS Soura, SKIMS Bemina, Govt. Medical Colleges which are already in ready mode for handling any referral cases during the Yatra period are instantly alerted in case of any emergency.