Airlifting of critical patient in remote, snowbound Killar revives hope for his recovery

Chief Minister’s helicopter sent to Himachal Pradesh’s Pangi Valley, which remains cut off for at least five months from December, bringing normal life to a standstill year after year

Hours after he had sustained serious injury, 43-year-old Devender Lal was airlifted on Tuesday from the snowbound valley of Pangi in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh to a government hospital in Kangra district, reviving hopes of his recovery, which had otherwise looked bleak.

Road connectivity in the tribal area of Pangi remains cut off for at least five months from December owing to heavy snowfall, bringing normal life to a virtual standstill in this part of the hill State, year after year.

Mr. Lal, a resident of Dharwas village in Chamba was found lying in his bed in his house on February 13 with a serious injury to his throat, the reason for which is yet to be ascertained. “We had lost all hope of his surviving as the entire area is under a thick cover of snow and most of the roads are shut for vehicular traffic. After he [Devender] was found with his throat slit, the villagers came together and carried him on their back, taking turns, to the government hospital at Killar, which is over 13-14 kilometres away,” the patient’s elder brother, Chain Lal, told The Hindu,

With Mr. Devender Lal’s condition remaining critical, the medical officials at Killar requested Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to arrange for his airlifting. “Soon after the request, the Chief Minister acted swiftly and sent his official helicopter to airlift the patient by cancelling his scheduled tour,” an official statement said. The patient was brought to the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College at Tanda in Kanga district on February 14, where he’s being treated.

“With the timely intervention of the Chief Minister, my brother is now getting the required medical treatment, which otherwise would have not been possible as we would have not been able to bring him to this hospital through the snow-laden roads,” Mr. Chain Lal said.

The CM, meanwhile, has directed the hospital authorities to treat Mr. Devender Lal free of cost and provide him with all possible assistance.

Mr. Sukhu said that the government was seriously mulling strengthening health facilities in the far-off and tribal regions of the State. “Adequate doctors will be posted in such areas so that the people living in hard and tribal regions could get adequate medical attention with the best facilities,” he said.