High-altitude heroes: Docs saddle up as ‘pony ambulances’ take to Amarnath duty

At the dizzying heights of 3,800 metres above sea level where providing ambulances or instant healthcare is difficult, the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims are getting help from unexpected sources – pony ambulances.

A horse-mounted emergency response system equipped with medical kits and oxygen cylinders, the pony ambulances are accompanying pilgrims as they trek from both the Baltal and the Pahalgam routes to reach the cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas.

The pilgrimage started on June 29 and multiple health department teams trained to ride horses. Equipped with oxygen cylinders and other machines, they have been saving a lot of lives, providing timely intervention and oxygen therapy to the yatris whose health deteriorates as the oxygen concentration decreases at the perilous heights.

Every day, Jaffar Ali Balti, a 57-year-old basic health worker, waits for the start of the Yatra in the morning from Baltal base camp in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal. He wakes up at 3 am in the morning and starts screening the pilgrims to check if their ages are above 13 and below 70.

At 7.30 am, he mounts a horse and accompanies the groups of pilgrims as they start the trek for the day. He is also accompanied by two more colleagues on their respective horses along with a pony carrying oxygen cylinders, medicines and first aid kits.

“We keep looking for people who need oxygen or first aid or those who get injured during the trek. We provide the oxygen or medicines on the spot whether the pilgrims are ascending the mountain on palkis, on horses or on foot. Everyday, we trek from Domail to Railpathri till 11 am after which another team takes over,” Balti said.

The cave shrine, which is situated at a height of 3,880 metres in south Kashmir, welcomes lakhs of Hindu pilgrims who scale snow glaciers and cross ice cold waters during the summer.

Yatris usually trek 36 km up to the mountainous paths to the cave shrine from the Pahalgam base camp in south Kashmir while from central Kashmir’s Baltal side, the route is shorter but vertical and yatris have to trek for just 14 km.

Addressing ‘oxygen hunger’

Doctors say as people trek upwards, the concentration of oxygen declines prompting the body to show symptoms of “oxygen hunger” like hypoxia, giddiness, hallucinations, unconsciousness or syncope. Earlier the health department had put static and transient oxygen points (on ponies as well) at different points along the routes apart from health centres or hospitals. But this year, they decided to send healthcare teams on ponies to accompany the groups of pilgrims.

“Till the time a patient reaches a transient health booths which are at distances of 2-km, the pony ambulance provides him or her basic health care and oxygen to stabilise the patient and then accompanies him to hospital. This has helped to save a lot of lives,” a health official involved with the initiative not wishing to be named said.

Taking the initiative forward

Director health services in Kashmir, Mushtaq Ahmad Rather, said they had introduced ponies two years ago stationing them at transient points, but this year they revised the initiative and decided to send the health teams laced with oxygen cylinders and kits along with Yatris.

“Every day 7-8 teams with 3 persons in each team accompany the caravan of yatris from each route and provide immediate oxygen to the pilgrims when there is an emergency,” he said.

He said they have established 55 health facilities including six base hospitals on the non-motorable yatra routes, adding, “The patients along with oxygen cylinders are then transported on ambulance ponies to the nearest health facility.”

The ambulances also carry disposables, drugs, anti-hypertensive, anti- allergy and all immediate emergency medicines.

The 52-day pilgrimage which started on June 29 this year has already drawn around 1.75 pilgrims to the cave shrine.

Kashmir health department spokesperson, Mir Mushtaq, said the pony ambulances have already helped hundreds of patients, adding,“So far more than 2500 people have been helped by these pony ambulances.”