National-level review meeting on Amarnath Yatra held

Srinagar, Dec 21: Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Prof. (Dr) Atul Goel today chaired the national level review and planning meeting on Amarnath Yatra here at SKICC in Srinagar.

Representatives from various states, UTs, several institutions and organisations belonging to different parts of the country attended the meeting to review the challenges faced in previous year’s yatra and plan better preparedness next year.

Other dignitaries included M.K Bhandari Principal Secretary Governor UT of J&K and Bhupender Kumar, Secretary Health Kashmir.

V.K Bhiduri Divisional commissioner Kashmir, Dr L. Swasticharan Addl. DDG and Director EMR also attended the meeting and provided important inputs for the health care arrangements for SANJY.

This is for the first time that such an impressive meeting has been held for the preparation of the upcoming yatra in physical mode in Srinagar.

Dr Atul Goel discussed the extended healthcare measures that are to be taken during the annual pilgrimage so that pilgrims are provided best healthcare services during the Yatra period.

The meeting held discussions on the different aspects of the annual pilgrimage and ways to make the journey of the Yatris more comfortable.

While commending the role of health department Kashmir over the past several years, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Vijay Kumar Bidhuri said the previous yatra has seen record number of pilgrims. He highlighted that today's meeting focused on two major aspects. “Firstly, there was an emphasis on sensitising and screening people with medical conditions to ensure they do not encounter any issues. Secondly,
the discussion revolved around the importance of educating pilgrims about the location and prevailing conditions for their better understanding and preparedness.”