The crisis is alarming with cracks widening every day
By: AABID RASHID MALIK
We are currently facing a dire and largely overlooked humanitarian crisis- a rapidly deteriorating healthcare system plagued by medical negligence, under-resourced hospitals, and a rising number of avoidable deaths. In recent years, disturbing incidents involving preventable fatalities, poor emergency response, and lack of accountability in hospitals across Kashmir have triggered growing public outrage.
The healthcare system, which should be a safety net for the population, appears to be faltering under the weight of structural flaws, administrative negligence, and a severe human resource crisis.
A Pattern of Preventable Tragedies
Medical negligence in Kashmir is no longer a rare or isolated phenomenon. It has become tragically common, with cases of patients dying due to wrong diagnoses, expired medications, absence of specialists, delayed surgeries, and denial of basic care being reported frequently. A few high-profile cases have shed light on the magnitude of the problem.
In one such case, a young woman in Anantnag died due to postpartum haemorrhage after being referred late from a community health centre lacking emergency obstetric care. In another incident, a child in Kupwara lost his life after doctors failed to detect a brain infection in time due to faulty diagnostic equipment and delayed specialist intervention. These deaths, while often explained away by hospital authorities as “unfortunate outcomes,” point to deeper, systemic dysfunctions that are not being properly addressed.
Overburdened and Understaffed Healthcare Facilities
Despite several new hospital buildings and health centres being built under government initiatives like the National Health Mission (NHM), the actual functionality of these institutions remains poor. Doctor-patient ratios are critically low, with some hospitals in south and north Kashmir running with just a handful of overworked doctors. Nurses and paramedical staff are often forced to fill in roles for which they are neither trained nor authorized. Many rural hospitals lack even a full-time general physician, let alone specialists like paediatricians, gynaecologists, or anaesthetists. This human resource crisis is worsened by frequent political interference in transfers and postings, which disturbs continuity and quality of care. Moreover, the mental well-being of healthcare professionals is often ignored, leading to burnout, low morale, and in some cases, professional apathy.
Infrastructure: Built but Barely Functioning
Kashmir has witnessed the construction of several new hospital buildings in the last decade, but many of these remain ill-equipped and underutilized. Advanced diagnostic machines, including CT scanners and dialysis units, often lie unused due to the absence of technicians or lack of maintenance. In other cases, hospitals are running without essential supplies like oxygen cylinders, lifesaving drugs, or sterilized surgical equipment. Ambulance services remain unreliable, particularly in remote regions where poor roads, frequent blockades, and weather conditions already pose a logistical challenge. Stories of patients dying en route to tertiary hospitals in Srinagar are tragically common. Even in premier institutions like SKIMS or SMHS, long waiting times, overcrowded emergency wards, and a shortage of ICU beds often compromise care for critical patients.
Rural and Marginalized Populations at Greater Risk
The impact of the broken health system is felt most deeply in rural and marginalized communities. Villages located in remote areas like Bandipora, Karnah, Gurez, and parts of South Kashmir have limited or no access to proper healthcare, forcing residents to travel for hours even days to seek basic medical attention. The geopolitical situation, slow mobile and internet connectivity further compound the problem by disrupting telemedicine services and emergency helplines. During times of armed force convoys , even ambulances are denied passage, resulting in tragic loss of life.
Lack of Accountability and Legal Redress
Perhaps one of the most frustrating aspects for families of victims is the lack of accountability within the healthcare system. Medical negligence cases are rarely investigated thoroughly, and even when reports are filed, there is little transparency in the proceedings. There is no robust independent medical council in Kashmir that handles negligence cases with urgency and fairness. Families are left to fight lengthy and expensive legal battles to seek justice often with little success. As a result, public trust in the system is at an all-time low.
Policy Gaps and Government Apathy
While health policies exist on paper, their implementation on the ground is far from adequate. Funds allocated for rural health development are often delayed or misused. Monitoring mechanisms are weak or politically influenced, and audits of public hospitals are rarely conducted honestly. Government-run schemes such as Ayushman Bharat or Janani Suraksha Yojana have helped a segment of the population, but awareness and accessibility remain low. Many eligible citizens are unaware of the benefits or are unable to access them due to bureaucratic red tape and digital illiteracy.
A Call for Urgent Reforms
To prevent further deterioration of healthcare in Kashmir, multi-layered reforms are urgently required:
- Human Resource Development: Recruit, train, and retain healthcare professionals with a focus on rural deployment.
- Strengthen Infrastructure: Ensure all health centers are functional with essential drugs, equipment, and trained personnel.
- Accountability Mechanisms: Set up an independent Medical Negligence Review Board to investigate cases swiftly and fairly.
- Technology and Emergency Services: Improve ambulance networks, introduce telemedicine platforms, and equip hospitals with robust IT systems.
- Public Awareness: Educate citizens about their health rights and the government schemes available to them.
- Decentralized Decision-Making: Empower district-level health authorities to make quick decisions without overreliance on central bureaucracy
Conclusion: A System on Life Support
Kashmir’s healthcare system is on life support, with cracks widening every day. What is unfolding is not just a failure of medicine, but a failure of governance, planning, and empathy. The growing number of deaths caused by medical negligence is not just a statistic it is a humanitarian disaster in slow motion. If there is to be any hope for a healthy, resilient Kashmir, the government, civil society, and medical community must work together urgently and transparently to rebuild trust, infrastructure, and accountability. The lives of the people of Kashmir depend on it.
The writer is currently working as Nursing Tutor at Ramzaan College of Nursing Galander pampore. AABIDRASHID777@GMAIL.COM
