Kashmir: Blessed yet Deprived

The beauty of this land truly cannot be captured by photography nor expressed by poetry. One must visit Kashmir to feel the essence of the mesmerizing topography of this blessed region. The land of saffron fields, cherry blossoms, Maple Trees, peaceful lakes, Crystal clear streams flowing and stunning gardens. No praise seems enough to glorify the beauty of this splendid, natural and superb asset to mother earth. The region today bears the weight of a terribly chaotic past and the most uncertain future. Nobody really knows or can predict the future of the state that can be the most resourceful and progressive independent state. People live by the day, taking what comes by. The political system here lies in a total shameful condition with the assembly being run by aimless and pointless bunch of goons whose only perspective to amass as much wealth as they can while they remain in power. It really doesn’t matter to them the pathetic life conditions that the common man here lives by. Access to basic amenities such as quality healthcare, healthy education system, robust transport facilities and so on, are far below standards worthy of a mention. Life conditions in this land are so poor that it pains me to say that human life here has no value at all. The state administration being aware of such inert life conditions doesn’t seem to be willing to take notice and act aptly to bring in a general standard above the current. My article here is inspired by my visit to one of the prominent government hospitals of the region known as GB Pant Cantonment General Hospital located at Sonawar, Srinagar. Please do take time to browse through the pictures that I managed to click of the neonatal intensive care unit that had about 35 + babies kept under incubation for various medical conditions and believe me some really critical. I saw the entire ward being managed by just one duty doctor who from his look seemed most inexperienced and unskilled to dispense the right medical course to these ailing babies. I happened to ask him if there was a senior doctor available and was snubbed and told that its was none of my business. I went on to click some more pictures of the ward and was threatened with dire consequences if I didn’t stop and get out. Anyways as I walked out into the parking lot I met a few anxious fathers of babies that were new born and ailing and was shocked to know their state. I was told that being a government hospital doctors would charge money from them and stop all treatment if they were denied of the money quoted and if one didn’t have money they would even go onto stop attending to the patients. Furthermore what was shocking is that this hospital was in the news about 3 months ago for 500 deaths of newborn babies and children below 5 years of age. I happened to witness the death of a child right at the time when I was leaving the hospital after having dropped off a neighbor whose child was admitted just then. There needs to be some sort of a reprimand to sanitize the hospital administration to create a healthy, modern and apt facility. The irony here is that the cabinet health minister: Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad hails from this region and yet his backyard suffers at the misery of such pitiable healthcare facilities. Strangely the hospital is the only one of its kind for children with no other option for one to choose from. Kindly take note of the pictures attached to see for yourself the heart wrecking state of the prime most amenity for any society. Kudos to Mr. Omar Abdullah way to go. At this state only the Abdullah’s, Geelani’s, Mirwaiz and Mufti’s will be able to produce and grow healthy kids as they can afford world class treatment outside the valley.