On Wednesday morning, Amarnath pilgrim Lakshmi (60) found herself out of breath on her way to the holy cave at Railpathri, six kilometres from Baltal base camp.
A pony ambulance arrived on the scene shortly thereafter, and trained medical personnel quickly placed an oxygen mask on her face. Within minutes, the pilgrim was feeling better and beginning her spiritual journey again.
The Kashmir Health Services Department has come up with a novel concept of Pony Ambulance to provide instant medical facilities to Amarnath pilgrims.
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A pony ambulance is a small mobile medical facility carried by a pony and equipped with oxygen tanks, medicines and life-saving drugs.
These pony-driven ambulances will be run by a three-person team consisting of a ponywallah (pony trainer), a pharmacist and a medical professional.
There are two routes to the holy cave – from Baltal in Ganderbal district and Pahalgam in Anantnag district. Health authorities have deployed pony ambulances on both the routes.
idea
The holy cave site is located at an altitude of 12,756 feet above sea level and is surrounded by majestic mountains with rugged terrain and elevation changes. Pilgrims, especially the elderly, often suffer from altitude sickness and other ailments and require immediate medical attention. Though two hospitals with 100 beds each have been set up at the base camps of Baltal and Chandanwari, providing medical assistance to pilgrims along the entire route to the holy cave is quite a challenge. To address this challenge, Kashmir health authorities have introduced a novel pony ambulance.
Dr Mir Mustaq, spokesperson for the Directorate of Health Services, Kashmir, said: Business Line The idea was conceived in 2022, after which ponies loaded with oxygen tanks and medicines were deployed at various locations, he said.
“However, this year, for the first time, we have systematically introduced a pony ambulance,” the spokesman said.
He said a skilled emergency medical team had been dispatched along with a pony ambulance.
“We also imparted basic training to the ponywallahs on how to handle oxygen cylinders,” the spokesperson added.
Since the pilgrimage began, over 2,000 pilgrims have received medical assistance from the Pony Ambulance.
Jaafar Ali, a basic health worker deployed with Pony Ambulance, said the initiative was proving to be extremely beneficial for the pilgrims.
“Apart from oxygen cylinders and essential medicines, we also have small devices such as oximeters to check the oxygen saturation level of pilgrims and provide on-the-spot assistance if needed,” he said.
pilgrimage
The annual Amarnath Yatra will begin on June 29 and conclude on August 19, 2024.
The government has imposed tight security measures to ensure the safety of pilgrims following a sharp rise in militant attacks in the Jammu region. A total of 2,007,016 pilgrims had undertaken the pilgrimage up until July 7.
