SDH Kupwara – Low on Service & High On Bragging

Salafi Mushtaq

The Sub-district Hospital Kupwara, which otherwise should have been the District Hospital, is low on services despite it having quite well infrastructure and equipments. Every now and then we get to hear about something that pains a sane soul. It seems either the doctors are unwilling to work here or they see it a pastime to attend the hospital and not actually treat the patients the way they are otherwise entitled to.

The doctors here every now and then, in a bid to avoid the patients and mainly to earn quick bucks, suggest the patients to visit some particular clinics – who they are connected to. This may seem justified some times, but not all the times for not all patients can afford treatments’ from private doctors and private clinics.

Here I recall the case of a poor woman, who required Caserean Section surgery. The doctor without seemingly intending to attend her, asked her to visit his private clinic, when the woman pleaded that she can’t, this instead of moving the doctor made the latter more stubborn in his attitude. It was only after the public intervention that she was operated upon – not always will the public know or take heed for the issues’ of any other!

Another such case came to light where a patient in need of immediate surgery, was left in uncertainty after the doctor without considering asked her to visit him on several days later.

There are numerous such cases where we day in and day out see the patients, of varying degrees, being let down by the doctors out of their sheer materialistic thought.

I am compelled to say that, we are being treated a different society and that Sub-district Hospital Kupwara is simply low on services and high on bragging (about few things here and there).

When we have highly educated individuals around who unfortunately lack consciousness and compassion, what can we expect from the general populace? As responsible citizens, we —including civil society, traders, educators, religious leaders, and administrators— must unite to awaken the consciousness of our seemingly indifferent society.

It is imperative that we address these ethical lapses and foster a sense of genuine empathy and responsibility among professionals. The well-being of our society depends on the integrity and compassion of those in positions of trust. By raising awareness and encouraging collective action, we can work towards a more just and humane society.

The author is an educator at GHSS Kupwara, a philanthropist, and a trade unionist and can be reached at lonenaziagul@gmail.com