After trekkers’ deaths, doctors now to escort climbers

UTTARKASHI: In wake of several cases of trekkers’ deaths in Uttarakhand and other Himalayan states in the past two years, a prominent mountaineering authority is slated to provide advanced training to doctors who would now accompany climbers, both domestic and foreigners, on high altitude trekking expeditions across the country.
The month-long training camp — as part of an initiative by the Indian Mountaineering Foundation — will start in Uttarkashi from the first week of December.The Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in Uttarkashi is going to teach advance mountaineering skills to at least 50 doctors.
Till now, medical officers who were part of expedition used to stay back in the base camp “due to lack of advanced climbing skills”. However, after this exercise they would be able to accompany the climbers.
Mountaineering and Trekking Association Uttarkashi chief, Jayendra Rana, on Wednesday said due to high risk of accidents, mountaineering authorities have set a rule to send a medical officer with expedition teams, which can provide basic treatment to climbers and other support staff in case of emergency. The initiative will make mountaineering expeditions safer for climbers, he said.
Read this story in Bengali