“Are medical facilities available for solo travelers in Himachal” could certainly one of the question that’ll pop up in your head, if you are planning to travel solo to Himachal.
I believe that my experience of spending months across different regions of Himachal will really enable me to put all your queries to rest. On that note lets get started.
Are Medical Facilities Available For Solo Travelers In Himachal ?
To answer this question, YES basic medical facilities are available for solo travelers or any traveler for the matter of fact. But are quality healthcare facilities available, the answer is no.
If there is one thing Himachal lacks, its certainly a robust health care. The health facilities in rural areas are in a sorry state. While the medical facilities in the main towns of Himachal are average at best
But as a solo traveler you need not worry. Basic health care facilities are available in rural villages. While decent hospitals exist in the main towns of Himachal.
Before starting I would advise you to bring basic over the counter medicines for common ailments. Especially if you are going to visit lesser know places. I have a comprehensive list of the same.
Medical Facilities For Solo Traveler In Himachal – Popular Places
When it comes to medical facilities in popular tourist places, it is certainly better than rural areas. Popular tourist places and main towns like Manali, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla, Solan, Kangra, Chamba have decent hospitals.
Therefore in the main towns of Himachal and popular tourist places, you’ll get decent medical facilities. Of course you cannot compare them with the facilities that you get any cities.
In the main towns you’ll have pathology labs, screening centers to get X-rays, CT scans, multi-specialty hospitals and doctors and even medical care for emergency situations.
So you can expect way better medical facilities as a solo traveler in popular tourist places and main towns.
If you are looking to work remotely from Himachal, here are some problems that you might face while remote working from Himachal that you should be aware about.
Medical Facilities In Remote Areas Of Himachal For Solo Travelers
The more deeper you go into the rural and remote villages of Himachal, the lesser are the chances of finding even a decent hospital.
Except for basic primary health-centers, there are lack of hospitals in the rural areas, tribal regions and inner valleys. Barring treatment for common ailments don’t expect anything else.
For any moderate illnesses, emergency situations, basic and advance diagnosis they will straight away refer you to nearest main town of Himachal.
For instance, Lahaul & Spiti is one the remote tribal region of Himachal. Even the district hospital at Kyelang lacks proper medical facilities. Same is the case with tribal regions and remote valleys of Himachal.
But again as a solo traveler, if you go to primary health care centers in tribal regions, remote villages they can at least prescribe and provide basic medicine for common ailments for free.
In case of critical situations requiring immediate medical attention as a solo traveler, you might really struggle medical care in remote areas. And will to be taken to nearest main town of Himachal. So do keep this in mind.
During winters in the high-altitude valleys, remote villages, inner valleys people have lost their lives as they could not reach hospital timely due to lack of infrastructure.
If you like to tread on of the beaten path, Here is an epic itinerary for Sainj valley, one of the true gems of Himachal.
Places In Himachal Where You Can Get Decent Medical Facilities
Decent hosptials are to find in Himachal as they are restricted only to the main towns of Himachal. So here is a list of Main towns which have decent healthcare facilities in Himachal for solo travelers.
Make sure you keep a note of these places.
- Shimla city being the state capital has decent a lot of hospitals including the government run IGMC.
- Ner Chowk in Mandi has decent hospitals including government SLBS medical college and hospitals
- Solan is also one of the few towns in Himachal with decent medical healthcare.
- Kangra town also has a lot of good hospitals including fortis.
- Kullu town also has decent hospitals and healthcare facilities.
You have to get to these towns from wherever you are if you need immediate medical attention.
By the way if you are looking to work remotely from Himachal, here is super awesome list of 13 good places to work remotely from Himachal.
My Personal Experiences With Medical Facilities In Himachal As A Solo Traveler
I am fortunate enough that I have stayed fit and healthy on most of trips to Himachal. But there was this one time where I suffered a minor stomach ailment in Himachal during the middle of a strict lockdown.
I suffered from diarrhea and loose motions during my stay in lesser frequented village of Bathad village in Kullu Saraj. I tried taking Over the counter medicines from a chemist in Bathad but it did not help.
The nearest medical center was at Gushaini which is almost 30-45 minute away from Bathad. The medical center was decent. But there wasn’t even a proper doctor there.
They prescribed me some medicines to alleviate my symptoms for free. Even that did not work out well for me. Nearest hospital was in Banjar and nearest main town with good medical care was Kullu which is more than 2 hours away from Bathad.
With a Strict lockdown in place even commuting to Kullu was extremely difficult in absence of public transport. Although it was just a minor ailment it was hassle to great myself treated. And with strict lockdown in place anyways, I just decided to head back home somehow.
After this experience, I always make it a point to carry medicines for various common ailments as prescribed by my doctor.
At Kyelang district hospital I saw a traveler who met with an road accident being immediately transferred to some other hospitals in the main town of Himachal.
It is really sad to see such a sorry of a district hospital which cannot deal with Emergencies. Imagine the plight of Lahauli’s before Atal Tunnel came into existence.
To conclude, I hope you queries were answered for the question “How are medical facilities available in himachal” for solo travelers. Decent Medical facilities are restricted only to main towns of Himachal. Remote areas have below average health-care facilities.
