63rd meeting of SMVDSB
* Policy for providing free treatment to trauma victims approved
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 13: The 63rd meeting of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board was held at the Raj Bhavan here today under the chairmanship of Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chairman of the Shrine Board.
The meeting was attended by Dr. S. S. Bloeria, Dr. Ashok Bhan, H. L. Maini, Justice (Retd) Pramod Kohli, Maj. Gen. (Retd) Shiv Kumar Sharma and B. B. Vyas, all Board Members; and B V R Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Umang Narula, Principal Secretary to the Governor, Dheeraj Gupta, Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, Simrandeep Singh, designate Chief Executive Officer of the Shrine Board, Dr. M. K. Kumar and Anshul Garg, Additional Chief Executive Officers.
The Governor reviewed the implementation of the Master Plan for Bhawan and the Extended Shrine Area prepared by the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, to be executed in phases, and directed the CEO of the Board to ensure timely implementation of the various components of the Master Plan for establishing infrastructural facilities for the visiting pilgrims in a planned and holistic manner.
He also emphasized on expeditious planning and construction of New Durga Bhawan for providing on-floor free of cost accommodation facilities for pilgrims by maximizing the utilization of space.
The Governor while reviewing the status of installation of Passenger Ropeway between Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati, asked the CEO to ensure its early commissioning for facilitation of the pilgrims after completion of trial runs. This ropeway has a carrying capacity of 800 passengers per hour and shall reduce the travel time of the one-way journey on foot to Bhairon Temple, from one hour to less than three minutes. The Board has decided to charge a highly subsidized to and fro ticket of Rs. 100 per passenger to enable maximum number of pilgrims to avail this facility.
The meeting also took stock of the construction of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Nursing College Complex coming up at Kakryal and emphasized the need for timely completion of its hostels, staff and academic buildings.
The meeting reviewed the functioning of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kakryal and expressed satisfaction on its performance. The Board in a historic decision approved a Medical Support Policy for the treatment of victims of public trauma under its social support initiative at the Superspeciality Hospital.
The beneficiaries in this policy will include public trauma victims of road accidents, landslides or shooting stone incidents and such calamities from the surrounding areas of the Shrine referred to the hospital by the concerned Deputy Commissioners to provide emergency medical aid.
Medical assistance shall be provided in all such cases by the Shrine Board till the stabilization of the patient upto a ceiling of Rs. 2 lakh as a goodwill gesture for such critical cases.
For facilitating on-foot pilgrims who use the scenic Tarakote Marg for their journey to the Holy Cave Shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Deviji, the Board approved installation of a hi-tech Multipurpose Audio System on this track from Katra to Adhkuwari.
To further augment and upgrade the medical facilities for the pilgrims enroute Katra to Bhawan, the Board decided to establish a new fully equipped and staffed Medical Unit at Lambi Keri to cater to the medical exigencies in the Adhkuwari-Sanjichhat sector taking the total number of Medical Units to 8 on all the tracks. The Board also decided to create a new Medical Unit at Bhairon Temple at an estimated cost of Rs. 1 crore keeping in view the futuristic requirements.
Further, the skills of medical officers will be upgraded by organizing training programmes on Advanced Trauma Life Support for handling cardiac emergencies and trauma cases. A roster for regular trainings of the para-medical staff including Medical Assistants and Nursing Orderlies has also been formulated in consultation with experts from Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital specially to strengthen the emergency medical response on the track.
The Board decided to procure two more fully equipped Critical Care Ambulances for emergency evacuation of critical patients to the CHC Katra or the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kakryal for treatment. Besides, heli-evacuation of critical cardiac and other seriously ailing patients from Sanjichhat and Panchhi Helipads to the Helipad at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University for specialisedmedical care at the Superspeciality Hospital, Kakryal quickly on the Board’s expenses was also approved.
This significant decision could help in saving precious lives by drastically reducing response time in the golden hour, especially for cardiac cases and other critical patients.
The Board also approved enhancement of Group Accidental Insurance cover for the pilgrims. The accidental cover extended to each pilgrim free of cost shall now be Rs. 5 lakh instead of existing Rs. 3 lakh for the pilgrims aged 5 years and above and Rs. 3 lakh for the pilgrims below 5 years of age up from Rs. 1 lakh at present.
The Board also approved additional life insurance cover of Rs. 5 lakh to the pilgrims who will avail the service of the upcoming Passenger Ropeway between Bhawan and Bhairon Ghati. This cover shall be in addition to the accidental cover available to each yatri once he / she collects the yatra slip and commences the journey. It is pertinent to mention that premium on providing insurance cover to the pilgrims is borne by the Board and the insurance cover has been upgraded after a gap of 8 years.
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