DHSK, ISRO establish telemedicine Centre at Yatra route

Srinagar, July 15: A collaborative of Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir (DHSK) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a telemedicine node has been made fully functional at the Base Camp Hospital Panjtarni on the Amarnath yatra route.

The Base Camp hospital is one of the five main health facilities set up by the department of the Health enroute Amarnath Yatra.

Panjtarni Base Camp Hospital, situated at an altitude site of 12,700 feet caters to a varied group of patients suffering from high altitude and other ailments which can prove fatal if not treated in time.

An ICU type set-up has been established at the site including specialists trained in handling critically ill patients, have been deployed.

Dr Pawan Kotwal Principal Secretary Health & Medical Education said that the telemedicine facility will give a boost to the functioning of this hospital as the the doctors posted at the hospital can connect in real time to the tertiary care institutions of the country including Post Graduate Institute of Emergency Medical Research (PGIEMR), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Sheri Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), etc where from expert opinions of various superspecialities including cardiology, neurology, respiratory medicine etc can be sought for timely intervention.

Dr Saleem ur Rehman, Director General, Health Services (DGHS) said that it has been the efforts of the department to provide apt services to the yatra pilgrims and using modern technology at these high altitude sites. He further said that the department has provided other contemporary high technology equipments enroute Holy Cave including Automatic CPR Machine, Ventilatory Support Machinery, Critical Care Diagnostics, AEDs, HAPO Bags, Defibrillators, Cardiac Monitors etc. and all the drugs required to run Emergency Casualty services as per current protocols which has led to drastic decrease in mortalities.