Belief of not taking food before Darshan & taking bath in Dhams affecting health of pilgrims
Friday, 14 June 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The belief of abstaining from food till the Darshan of the deity and insistence on taking a bath before entering the temple premises is taking a toll on the health of a large number of pilgrims in the Char Dham Yatra. A total 78 per cent of the pilgrims visiting the Char Dhams do not undergo any health check up. These are the findings of a comprehensive medical research claimed to have been conducted by the health experts of the Six Sigma healthcare medical services and is based on treatment of 9218 pilgrims.
The research report claims that 63 per cent of the pilgrims suffer from mountain sickness, high blood pressure, sugar and hypertension. Painting a bleak picture of the healthcare setup of the State government in the Dhams, the report says that 96 per cent of death cases are brought dead in the health centres.
The findings of the research done by Six Sigma suggest that most of the deaths in the Dhams are caused by heart attack. The pilgrims were found to be suffering from acute mountain sickness and hypoxia as well.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Six Sigma, Dr Pradeep Bhardwaj told The Pioneer that very few pilgrims die during the treatment in any medical centre. He said that the on the spot health check is not serving the purpose and suggested that the State government should make the health check up of pilgrims mandatory on the lines of the Amarnath Yatra. Dr Bhardwaj said that the quick response mobile medical teams should be deployed on the Yatra routes.
He said that due to surging crowds the pilgrims have to wait for hours standing in queues and a large number of them follow the belief of having food only after Darshan. Dr Bhardwaj said that bathing at a place and observing fast at a place such as Kedarnath which is located at an altitude of 12,000 feet above mean sea level can become fatal.
Dr Bhardwaj said that it is generally observed that many pilgrims take a bath or take a dip in cold water in Dhams due to which some of them complain of hypothermia and it can lead to heart attack as well.
Dr Bhardwaj said that the research found that the government should fix a healthy food menu for the Bhandaras offering free food to the pilgrims. In its absence they are providing fried and spicy food to the pilgrims which are detrimental for their health.
The medical director of the Six Sigma, Dr Anita Bhardwaj said that the people suffering from hypertension, mountain sickness, heart ailments and sugar should refrain from coming to the Yatra. She added that obese ( BMI more than 30) should also avoid undertaking journeys to the Char Dhams. The pilgrims should also abstain from alcohol two to three days before starting their Yatra.
The pilgrims should carry their medicines and take proper and timely food and sleep, she said.
The doctors and other staff of Six Sigma have so far treated 5310 pilgrims in Kedarnath, 1870 in Badrinath, 1415 in Tungnath, 389 in Madmaheshwar and 204 in Rudranath.
