They say health is wealth. In Jammu & Kashmir, it’s more like health is stealth – something that vanishes the moment you need it most. Hospitals look like war zones, rural health centers resemble haunted houses, and patients are lucky if they get a stretcher before they get a shroud. Here’s a bitter pill to swallow: 10 ugly facts about J&K’s collapsing health system that no one talks about – and no one in power wants to fix. Everyone orders an inquiry than an introspection.
- Ghost Doctors, Real Patients
You enter a Primary Health Centre and are greeted by a peon with more medical knowledge than the absent doctor. Absenteeism is chronic, especially in rural setups. Some doctors show up once a month – to sign the register. - Unrecognized Degrees, Real Prescriptions
Yes, it’s true. J&K has seen repeated scandals where so-called “doctors” have practiced medicine on the strength of unrecognized degrees. Patients? They become guinea pigs – unaware, untreated, and unprotected. - Healthcare = Infrastructure, Not Care
New buildings, boundary walls, tiles, and nameplates are the health department’s obsession. Functionality? Secondary. It’s like building a hotel without staff, beds, or electricity – but hey, the launch photos look great.
- Equipment Without Electricity
Many rural hospitals proudly flaunt defibrillators, ultrasound machines, or dialysis setups. One problem: no trained technician, no electricity backup, no usage. Decorative medical showpieces. - Ambulance or Deadbulance?
Countless patients die not due to lack of doctors, but lack of timely transport. Ambulances either have no fuel, no drivers, or are privately “rented out” during emergencies. - The ‘Referral’ Culture
The sick are bounced like ping pong balls – from sub-district to district to tertiary hospitals. Not because of complexity, but because doctors don’t want responsibility. “Refer to SMHS,” they say – for everything from headaches to heart attacks. - Rural? Rotting.
In Kupwara, Kulgam, Poonch and other peripheries, health care is synonymous with neglect. PHCs don’t have basic drugs. Nurses double up as sweepers. In some areas, even dogs hesitate to enter “hospitals.” - Private Practice in Government Time
Doctors in government hospitals often run thriving private clinics – with better manners and more attention, provided you’re paying from your pocket. Meanwhile, the government ward lies in neglect. Who says socialism and capitalism can’t co-exist? - Medicine Thefts? Open Secret
Essential drugs meant for free distribution often vanish – only to reappear in private chemist shops. Procurement records are tight-lipped. Audits? Asleep. Patients? Helpless. - No Accountability, Just Transfers
The only “treatment” meted out to corrupt or negligent health officers is a comfortable transfer – sometimes even a promotion. It’s a game of musical chairs where the music is played by political patrons. And they even shamelessly cover their own inefficiencies.
J&K doesn’t need more hospitals. It needs hospitals that work. But then again, a broken system suits those who profit from the cracks. Next time a minister visits a hospital, don’t paint the walls. Fix the soul.
