Ayurveda Health Camp At Agoda Village, Uttarkashi

While the rest of the world enjoyed the monsoons from their porches, we at MKT were very busy organizing medical camps in remote areas of the Himalayas.

The Challenge

Those who are familiar with the Himalayas, know how risky it is to travel even short distances during monsoon. There is always the possibility of landslides, floods, road cave-ins, and many other problems that one has to face while commuting in the mountains during the rainy season.

However, this is also the time when medical care is required the most. The rainwater inundating the water sources brings with it a multitude of health problems, especially stomach and digestive problems. waterborne diseases such as jaundice and typhoid are common, as are skin ailments. Traveling long distances to get the required medical attention over washed-out roads or blocked paths deters people living in far-off villages from seeking the much-needed medical attention. The people in these remote villages often rely on home remedies, which may or may not often work.

The Initiative

Looking at the problems facing the people living in these remote areas, it was decided that MKT would hold a medical camp at a remote village where there was no medical facility at all. We researched and picked Agoda Village. A small village at the end of the Assiganga valley about 20 kilometers from the District Head Quarter of Uttarkashi. The road connection to Agoda is difficult in fair weather, come monsoon it is nothing short of treacherous.

We picked the village because it had no primary health care center and the villagers have to travel to Gangori, about 16 kms away for even the basic medicines. The village is the road head to one of the most popular trekking routes in Uttarkashi. Despite this, there is a lack of basic medical facilities in the area.

The Doctor

We contacted Dr. Sadhanashree P the founder of Arogyavardhini Wellness Services, Bangalore and Chairperson of Sadhana Sangama Trust. She established the Arogyavardhini Ayurvedalaya in 2017. Her passion for yoga and ayurveda, as well as her willingness to provide ongoing medical support through online medical consultations, were ideal for the program we had in mind. Dr. Sadhana is an award-winning Ayurveda practitioner. Along with that, she is also an accomplished yoga teacher and a Bharatnatyam dancer. Her dedication to Ayurveda compelled her to come to Uttarkashi in the Monsoon and hold a free medical camp in the remote Himalayan village of Agoda.

The Preparation for the Ayurveda Health Camp

Our preparations for the camp started almost a month before. We had to talk to the Village headman and the women to decide where to hold the camp and make the necessary arrangements for the space for the clinic, the equipment required for it, and to prepare the publicity material and ensure its timely delivery to the village so people could be informed and be able to attend the free medical check-up camp and get the free medicines we were going to distribute.

We also had to source the medicines required for the camp and package them properly for distribution during the camp. Though we were scarce on time, we managed to get everything done in time.

It was decided that the MKT team would travel to Agoda the day before and stay there to avoid any delays should the road be closed after heavy rainfall. This often happens in the mountains, hence, the team left on the second and stayed at Agoda for the night.

Ayurveda Health Camp

Everything was beautifully arranged and prepared for the Ayurveda Health Camp. The villagers were very excited and enthusiastic about the camp. We learned that this was the first-ever medical or health camp that had been held in the village. No one had tried to do this before and it was a pioneering effort in the area.

The team got ready in the morning and went door to door to remind people to come to the Ayurveda Health Camp. We were expecting about 40-50 people but by the time the camp concluded at 2.30 pm, a total of 76 people had been served. We distributed deworming medicines along with the other medicines prescribed by Dr. Sadhna. There were a couple of patients who could not walk to the camp venue, so Dr. Sadhna decided to make home visits for these elderly patients.

The majority of patients were women. Most patients suffered from gastric issues, joint pains, and uterine and menstrual problems.

Health and Hygiene Awareness Drive

Besides the medical camp, we also held a women’s health and awareness drive. Dr. Sadhna gave a talk on the importance of hygiene to the women and distributed informational pamphlets and booklets to the women. The informational literature had been prepared by the MKT team, specifically for distribution in our free health camps.

Successful Completion of the First Free Ayurveda Health Camp

The camp concluded on a successful note. The villagers were happy and willing to make the effort to take the ayurvedic medicines and practice the hygiene tips given to them.

Followups

Looking at Dr Sadhana’s passion and dedication to Ayurveda, it was decided that we would have Online follow-up sessions with the patients that she examined during the camp. These would most likely be held once a month starting from September.

We hope that our efforts will bear fruit and that people will appreciate the traditional healing systems of India and be willing to give Ayurveda a try.

This camp was a part of our initiative to promote Ayurveda and other indegenous and traditional health systems in this area. It was also a part of our program to bring health services to underserved areas of Himalayas.

To know more about what we do and how you can become a part of our initiatives, visit our website: https://mangalakshematrust.org/