Uttarakhand Health Department Conducts Check-up of 500K Pilgrims

In a bid to reduce fatalities due to health complications during the ongoing Char Dham yatra, the Uttarakhand health department has conducted health screenings of over 500,000 pilgrims since the pilgrimage began on April 30.

- HT Correspondent

DEHRADUN: In a bid to reduce fatalities due to health complications during the ongoing Char Dham yatra, the Uttarakhand health department has conducted health screenings of over 500,000 pilgrims since the pilgrimage began on April 30.

Health secretary Dr Rajesh Kumar said the health department has made extensive preparations to minimize possible health risks during the yatra.

He added that under the direction of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and health minister Dhan Singh Rawat, the state health department has made such an effective arrangement of health services on the yatra route, under which health check-up of over 500,000 devotees has been done so far. Over 2.2 million pilgrims have visited the Char Dham shrines since the yatra started on April 30.

The health secretary said that millions of devotees participate in the Char Dham yatra every year, including a large number of elderly, heart and respiratory patients, as well as people coming to the hilly area for the first time.

"For them, altitude, cold and lack of oxygen can become a serious health risk. Keeping this in mind, this time health services have been strengthened at a three-tier level," he said.