PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Haridwar
With approximately 20 crore persons expected to arrive in Haridwar for the 2027 Kumbh Mela, the Mela administration has begun extensive preparations for health services. Conducting such a large religious event safely within Haridwar’s limited geographical area poses a significant challenge for the Mela administration and the Health department. In view of this, the authorities have prepared a health plan to provide better and faster medical care to the devotees.
A large part of Haridwar city is surrounded by hills on two sides and the Ganga river on one side. Providing healthcare facilities to the potential crowd of millions of devotees within a limited space is challenging. Keeping this in mind, the entire Mela area has been divided into four zones and 32 sectors to ensure prompt medical assistance in case of any emergency. Mela health officer Manish Dutt stated that a proposal has been prepared to develop temporary hospitals and medical facilities at various locations, keeping the health of the devotees in mind. 50-bed hospitals are proposed at Gaurishankar and Bairagi Camp, while 40-bed hospitals are proposed at Rodi sector and Pantdweep. Additionally, a 20-bed hospital is proposed at Saptasarovar. He informed that 10-bed hospitals will be established in 14 sectors of the fair area. These include Muni Ki Reti, Dakshindweep, Satidweep, Laljiwala, Chandidweep, Kangra Island, Belwala, Dhirwali, Motichur and other important areas. These hospitals plan to provide facilities ranging from general medical care to emergency treatment.
According to the fair health officer, a large number of medical and paramedical staff will be deployed throughout the fair area. During the fair period, 29 specialist medical officers, 271 other medical officers, 481 paramedical staff, and approximately 1,020 outsourced employees will be deployed to provide health services. Additionally, the services of 43 specialist doctors will also be available.
The transport system is also being strengthened to deal with emergency situations. There is a plan to deploy 31 Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances, two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and 20 bike ambulances in the fair area. Apart from this, a proposal to run boat ambulances to provide immediate medical assistance in case of any emergency in the Ganga region has also been sent to the government. Dutt said that during the fair period, a target has been set to provide a total of 3,486 beds of medical facilities in the Kumbh area. Of these, about 436 beds will be available in temporary hospitals. The Health department has planned to provide comprehensive health facilities in the fair area from Bahadrabad to Neelkanth area.
He said that the target is to complete all health-related arrangements by December. Currently, the Health department has submitted a proposal to the government totaling approximately Rs 36.7 crore, with approval for approximately Rs 28 crore expected.
Given the expected influx of millions of devotees, this plan by the Health department could play a crucial role in dealing with any illness, accident, or emergency during the Kumbh Mela. The challenge now is to implement this health plan within the stipulated time frame.
