DEHRADUN: Telemedicine studios have opened in community health centres in two Char Dham districts - Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag - ahead of the yatra scheduled in April. Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services, such as health assessments or consultations, over the telecommunications infrastructure to allow experts to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients without an in-person visit.The health department officials said that telemedicine studios have been opened in CHCs on Char Dham route so pilgrims could get timely medical attention. The CHCs in the hills are dealing with manpower crunch and often have to make do with just a pharmacist.Last year, 112 pilgrims had died en route the shrines. Maximum deaths had occurred in Kedarnath (36) followed by Badrinath (28), Yamunotri (25) and Gangotri (23). Most of them succumbed to cardiac arrest. Doctors said that low concentration of oxygen in the air in high-altitude areas could trigger several health ailments leading to cardiac arrest in many cases.The telemedicine services have now opened in Augustmuni CHC in Rudraprayag district, which is home to Kedarnath shrine, and Naugaon CHC in Uttarkashi where Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines are located.Besides Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag, telemedicine studios will also be set up in CHCs in Almora and Nainital. On Monday, an e-health centre was inaugurated in Veer Chandra Singh Garhwali Srinagar Medical College Hospital in Pauri Garhwal which will house doctors and paramedics and remain connected with the four CHCs.“There are barely any specialist doctors in remote areas of the state so we have started telemedicine facility and e-health centres, said chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat while inaugurating the e-health centre.Director general of health Dr Archana Shrivastava said, “Our focus is to intertwine information technology with health services. Depending on how these telemedicine studios function, the department will decide whether to expand its telemedicine network.”Doctors and paramedical staff would be trained on maintaining digital records and handling equipment.

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