Haridwar: With a view to provide faster access to health services for people living in hilly areas of the state, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh is soon going to initiate heli-services to reach out to people staying in relatively inaccessible areas.Manoj Kumar Gupta, AIIMS Rishikesh medical superintendent, while speaking at Haridwar Press Club on the theme ‘Challenges before health sector in Uttarakhand’ on Thursday said that two helipads have been constructed in the institute for this purpose.“In hill districts, shifting accident victims to a hospital in time is a great challenge. If a patient can be shifted to a trauma centre within the critical period, there are great chances of survival,” Gupta said. He added that in the past one year, over 90% accident victims were saved as they were flown to AIIMS by helicopters provided by the state government.Gupta further said that lack of awareness among the people and insufficient trauma centres also pose as big challenges. “It is important to disseminate correct health information among patients. For example, around 95% cancer patients sought treatment from us when it was already too late. Around 50% patients diagnosed with cancer discontinue treatment and go to either self-proclaimed doctors or to religious places. When they finally return to us, the disease is in a very advanced stage,” he said.

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