India can kill you

I have just returned from Zanskar/Ladakh where a member of our group
started suffering from acute moutain sickness and needed a helicopter
evac. Despite repeated requests the Indian military refused to send in
a helicopter, but was happily ferrying ballot boxes around by copter
while our friend lay helpless. She was eventually taken out by pony.
Ladakh is a military zone (on border with Pakistan) and no private
helicopters are allowed -- only military. So your medical/evacuation
insurance is worth zero here -- but no-one tells you. If you get sick
in Ladakh, u can die. You have been warned.

I have just returned from Zanskar/Ladakh where a member of our group
started suffering from acute moutain sickness and needed a helicopter
evac. Despite repeated requests the Indian military refused to send in
a helicopter, but was happily ferrying ballot boxes around by copter
while our friend lay helpless. She was eventually taken out by pony.

It would have been very charitable of the Indian military to have
provided helicopter evacuation. Apparently, the helicopter operators
and their military commanders were not in a charitable mood. However,
nothing compels them to be charitable, even to treking foreigners. Your
suffering friend apparently survived after evacuation via more low-tech
transportation.

Ladakh is a military zone (on border with Pakistan) and no private
helicopters are allowed -- only military. So your medical/evacuation
insurance is worth zero here -- but no-one tells you. If you get sick
in Ladakh, u can die.

Best to inform yourself before traveling.

Hmmmm..... One wonders whether the medical/evacuation insurance covered
the cost of the evacuation by pony.

You have been warned.

Yep.

Why do you think the Indian military should do ambulance work for
tourists?

What next, if your flight is delayed, call in the air force to fly you??

On 6 Sep 2005 17:56:03 -0700, wrote:


Why do you think the Indian military should do ambulance work for
tourists?

What next, if your flight is delayed, call in the air force to fly you??
More, there is ample information in all guide books of the dangers of
high altitude sickness and the measures you should take to avoid it,
and the steps you should take once the symptoms appear.

You should take suitable acclimatisation measures and at the first
signs of any sickness, descend immediately.

The poster did not say anything about the circumstances surrounding
his or her colleague's sickness.

On 6 Sep 2005 17:56:03 -0700, wrote:


Why do you think the Indian military should do ambulance work for
tourists?

For the same reason the US military are using helicopters to evacuate
people injured or in some other imminent danger in New Orleans.

Many countries make use of their military facilities to rescue
civilians in emergency situations (eg injured mountain hikers) when no
alternative is readily available.

I don't know how serious this person's mountain sickness was, but if
it became life threatening then their request would seem reasonable.

Chris

wrote in message
ups.com...

Why do you think the Indian military should do ambulance work for
tourists?

What next, if your flight is delayed, call in the air force to fly you??


So I guess that if your boat sinks and your stranded at sea in a life raft,
you shouldn't expect a passing Navy ship to help rescue you?

What, you expect the Navy to be providing a ferry service for tourists whose
boats sink?

Idiot.

In article , Chris Blunt
says...

Why do you think the Indian military should do ambulance work for
tourists?

For the same reason the US military are using helicopters to evacuate
people injured or in some other imminent danger in New Orleans.

Many countries make use of their military facilities to rescue
civilians in emergency situations (eg injured mountain hikers) when no
alternative is readily available.

I don't know how serious this person's mountain sickness was, but if
it became life threatening then their request would seem reasonable.

Well, the USA is the richest country in the world, while India a poor
developing country with limited resources.

The US military is saving their own people, while the Indian military
would have to save some foreign tourists, who chose to go into a
dangerous area. Nobody forced these tourists to put themselves at risk.
--

Alfred Molon
http://www.molon.de - 6000 photos from Asia, Africa and Europe

redegecko wrote:
I have just returned from Zanskar/Ladakh where a member of our group
started suffering from acute moutain sickness and needed a helicopter
evac. Despite repeated requests the Indian military refused to send in
a helicopter, but was happily ferrying ballot boxes around by copter
while our friend lay helpless. She was eventually taken out by pony.
Ladakh is a military zone (on border with Pakistan) and no private
helicopters are allowed -- only military. So your medical/evacuation
insurance is worth zero here -- but no-one tells you. If you get sick
in Ladakh, u can die. You have been warned.

While I feel pity for your friend, you should know that if you get sick
*anywhere* you can die, a fact that is probably more true in remote
areas of third-world areas; no matter where you go you have to be aware
of the dangers you face. Also note that other countries might have
flown her out, but if they determined she needlessly put herself and
others at danger she could have faced a bill for that evac. Besides,
AMS is rarely life threatening unless you don't know what you're doing
and don't stop to either wait out the symptoms and/or slowly descend,
both ideally with the help of oxygen (and medication, which a
well-equipped high-altitude first aid kid should have); if you keep
ascending it'll progress to life-threatening altitude sickness. It
could be the military didn't think standard AMS (not life threatening
and relatively common) was enough justification for a helicopter evac.
Actually, a slow donkey ride down the mountain was probably the best
thing for her.

John W.

"John W." wrote in message
ups.com...
redegecko wrote:
I have just returned from Zanskar/Ladakh where a member of our group
started suffering from acute moutain sickness and needed a helicopter
evac. Despite repeated requests the Indian military refused to send in
a helicopter, but was happily ferrying ballot boxes around by copter
while our friend lay helpless. She was eventually taken out by pony.
Ladakh is a military zone (on border with Pakistan) and no private
helicopters are allowed -- only military. So your medical/evacuation
insurance is worth zero here -- but no-one tells you. If you get sick
in Ladakh, u can die. You have been warned.

While I feel pity for your friend, you should know that if you get sick
*anywhere* you can die, a fact that is probably more true in remote
areas of third-world areas; no matter where you go you have to be aware
of the dangers you face. Also note that other countries might have
flown her out, but if they determined she needlessly put herself and
others at danger she could have faced a bill for that evac. Besides,
AMS is rarely life threatening unless you don't know what you're doing
and don't stop to either wait out the symptoms and/or slowly descend,
both ideally with the help of oxygen (and medication, which a
well-equipped high-altitude first aid kid should have); if you keep
ascending it'll progress to life-threatening altitude sickness. It
could be the military didn't think standard AMS (not life threatening
and relatively common) was enough justification for a helicopter evac.
Actually, a slow donkey ride down the mountain was probably the best
thing for her.

John W.


what made her sick? spicy chicken curry, dirty water, hot weather, insects?

"o co no" wrote:

what made her sick? spicy chicken curry, dirty water, hot weather,
insects?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acute_mountain_sickness

--
Dave Fossett
Saitama, Japan