IMA to provide health care during Kumbh Mela

NASHIK: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is coordinating with doctors, paramedics and non-governmental organisations to provide health care during the Kumbh Mela in case of an epidemic, emergency or a disaster. As many as 75 people from the medical field have been trained for the purpose. The IMA is also going to form a rapid task force with a group of doctors for the Kumbh.
The health care training is being done by the IMA in coordination with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS).
“We had four or five meetings with MUHS over the last two months. The IMA is coordinating to get all health care personnel like doctors, paramedics and NGOs together. The government will provide the infrastructure and we will provide health care,” said IMA Nashik president Manoj Chopda.
“Three months of the Kumbh Mela and particularly the three parvanis (main days) for the shahi snan (holy bath) are important. We will be on our toes for nine days during the three shahi snans — one day before each snan, on the day, and the day after. It is during these days that pilgrims come in large numbers,” Chopda said.
“A team from Atlanta, US, had come to the NDMVP’s Dr Vasantrao Pawar Medical College had offered training to 75 people from the medical field in handling epidemics and disaster management. This was the leadership programme. One programme was also conducted for paramedics,” he said.
These programmes were held during in April-end and the start of May. The IMA is also trying to create a Rapid Task Force (RTF) with a group of doctors for the main shahi snan days. Nine centres are being developed for the shahi snan so that Ramkund does not get overcrowded. The RTF will be posted at these centres.
“There will be physicians, orthopaedicians, anaesthetists and general physicians at work during the Kumbh,” Chopda said. “We met the deputy director of health services, municipal commissioner and district collector in this connection. We had an emergency case during the last Kumbh and it took us almost two hours to transport a patient over a distance of barely 1.5km. We are also planning to have a tent ICCU (Intensive Cardiac Care Unit), cardiac ambulance with ventilator and a doctors’ team to help in emergencies.”
Chopda pointed out that around 5-6 lakh sadhus and visitors will attend the Kumbh Mela from July to September. The municipal corporation will have a mobile OPD and 10-bedded hospital at Sadhugram, he said.
Additionally, the IMA and MUHS have identified hospitals near Ramkund for treatment, such as the Ganeshwadi Ayurvedic Hospital, Dental College at Panchavati, Saptashrungi Medical College and Dr Vasant Pawar Medical College.
“During the shahi snan, the services of these hospitals can be used to treat emergency cases and for disaster management,” Chopda said.