Dehradun, June 9 -- In a bid to reduce fatalities due to health complications during the ongoing Char Dham yatra, the Uttarakhand health department has conducted health screenings of over 500,000 pilgrims since the pilgrimage began on April 30. Health secretary Dr Rajesh Kumar said the health department has made extensive preparations to minimise possible health risks during the yatra. He added that under the direction of chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and health minister Dhan Singh Rawat, the state health department has made such an effective arrangement of health services on the yatra route, under which health check-up of over 500,000 devotees has been done so far. Over 2.2 million pilgrims have visited the Char Dham shrines since the yatra started on April 30. The health secretary said that millions of devotees participate in the Char Dham yatra every year, including a large number of elderly, heart and respiratory patients, as well as people coming to the hilly area for the first time. "For them, altitude, cold and lack of oxygen can become a serious health risk. Keeping this in mind, this time health services have been strengthened at a three-tier level," he said. According to the state government data, 76 pilgrims have died on Char Dham routes, including 37 in Kedarnath Dham, 16 in Badrinath Dham, 10 in Gangotri Dham, and 13 in Yamunotri Dham, this year so far. Health secretary Kumar said that the priority of the state government this year is not only the number of pilgrims, but also to ensure the safety and good health of every devotee. "For this, we are working parallelly on technology, expertise and human resources. This time 49 permanent health centres and 20 medical relief posts have been activated in the Char Dham districts such as Rudraprayag, Chamoli and Uttarkashi. At the same time, strong health arrangements have also been ensured in transit districts - Haridwar, Dehradun, Tehri and Pauri. 57 screening kiosks have been installed at the yatra starting points, in which two each have been added in Haridwar and Rishikesh, two in Vikasnagar and one new screening centre in Kaliyasaur area of Pauri," he said. Kumar said that a new 17-bed hospital has been brought into service this time for the convenience of pilgrims at Kedarnath Dham. "Record deployment of specialist doctors and medical staff has been made this time - 31 specialist doctors, 200 medical officers, 381 para-medical staff. Apart from this, 24 additional medical officers per roster and 35 paramedical staff are also included. In the deployment of specialist doctors, 47 specialists have been taken from the state health service, 13 specialists from the government of India, and five specialists from private medical colleges," he said. Kumar said during the screenings, many pilgrims have been found to be suffering from high blood pressure, respiratory problems or other health conditions. "Nearly 29 pilgrims were sent back from the safety point of view by advising them not to travel further. At the same time, 369 devotees were referred by ambulance and 33 by heli ambulance service for treatment," he said. He said on the instructions of CM Dhami, the health department has trained not only medical staff but also hotel, dharamshala staff, mule operators and porters, so that they can recognise high-risk symptoms and ensure timely referral. Also, a special awareness campaign has been launched to prevent risks like hypothermia, he added. The health secretary said monitoring of health data and quick response to emergencies have been made possible through the "e-Swasthya Dham" portal. "For this, 50 tablets have been given to the Char Dham districts, through which data is being compiled at all screening and medical relief posts. Pamphlets, hoardings and information related material prepared in 13 languages have been distributed at screening points and hotels so that pilgrims coming from every state can benefit from the information," he said. Kumar said that 154 ambulances have been deployed on the yatra routes, out of which 82 are from the health department and 72 are from the "108 NAS" service. "This time, for the first time helicopter ambulance service is being operated in collaboration with AIIMS, Rishikesh, so that extremely serious patients can get expert medical facility immediately," he said....