Keeping in mind its geographical and strategic location, the health infrastructure of Poonch in J&K needs to be redesigned so that its people can avail timely treatment for both injuries from ceasefire violations and Coronavirus. By Yousuf Jameel
It has been only six months since the novel Coronavirus started making headlines and the decade-old ways in which the world operated started getting altered. Till July 10, total number of cases reported from across the world were 12,495,228 while the number of deaths reported were 559,447. In India, total cases reported in the same time period were 8,00,000. Though, a strict lockdown was implemented across the nation with the intention of ‘controlling’ the virus but as soon as the lockdown was lifted, numbers proliferated and there has been no turning back.
Due to inability to handle such unprecedented number of patients, the healthcare infrastructure of several states crumpled including metropolitans like Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. Several horrifying reports of how hospitals denied admission to patients, the ill-treatment of admitted persons, data forgery and the high ‘rate list’ for treatment uncovered the false claims of the administration — both state and central. If such is the scenario in places that featured ‘state of the art’ facilities in their hospitals, one can only imagine the availability of medical facilities in the extremely remote, rural areas of the country — which are also exposed to more immediate threats along with COVID-19.
Walking kilometers for a paracetamol
In the interior hamlets of the hilly states, where there are no roads, villagers spend hours to reach the Government Health Centres only to find them locked. Or if it is their lucky day, they may find a nurse to attend them who will give them regular medicines but finding a qualified doctor in such areas is a distant dream. To receive medicine for common cold and flu, people have to trek for several kilometers to reach a Primary Health Centre or a Sub-Centre.
Falling sick in a border village
One such region that has been lagging years behind in the context of development is the border region of Poonch, Jammu & Kashmir. The unavailability of a strong health infrastructure in this conflict-affected district has several repercussions as it is not just the diseases that communities have to fight but the bullets and shells that are fired from across the border.
Poonch is often in news for tension at the border owing to years of international conflict. The news about ceasefire violations along the Line of Control (LoC) is often accompanied by reports of injuries and deaths of the locals who become the victims of collateral damage.
In this frequent exchange of fire, villagers who get severely injured are taken to the only hospital operating at the district level called the Raja Sukhdev Singh Hospital. This hospital lacks sophisticated equipment and expertise. The injured persons are often rushed to the Government Medical College in Jammu city, which is approximately 250 kms from Poonch. Most of the times, the injured patients succumb to their injuries on their way to the hospital.
“Innocent villagers who reside in border villages live under the constant threat of cross-firing. People are injured almost every day and face difficulties in getting the treatment at right time,” rued Abdul Rashid, a social worker from Shahpura village. He told us about Shamima Akhtar, a 24-year-old resident of village Noonabandi, who was injured during cross-border firing in October 2019. Unfortunately, she could not be saved due to lack of timely treatment.
No roads to the hospitals
Explaining the lack of basic facilities in the border areas, Abdul said, “It is not possible to rush the injured to the hospital immediately as there are no roads in the villages tucked away in the mountainous regions and this is one of the major reasons why so many lives have been lost due to firing.”
Not just adults but children are also not spared by these bullets. On July 30, 2019, a 10-day-old baby was injured in Shahpura border area of Poonch district along with her mother, Fatima Jan. The mother somehow survived but the child died on arrival at the hospital. As recent as on July 8, 2020, a civilian was killed while two others were injured in ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Balakote sector in Poonch district.
It is not just the lack of roads, several regions of this district do not have any medical facility at all. Villagers have been left to fend for themselves. Pregnant women, heart patients, elderly people have to be carried on cot through the tricky trails of hilly area. Situation gets worse in winters when it becomes difficult to walk on snow carrying an ill person tied to a cot.
“The residents of Morban village, which is about 15 km from main market, have been neglected by the administration for a long time now. In the absence of road and medical centres in the village, patients at times have to be carried on shoulders to the nearest medical facility located in Mandi,” told a young journalist from Mandi Tehsil in Poonch.
Increasing incidents of ceasefire violations
June 2020 has witnessed 411 instances of ceasefire violation. While 382 occurred in May, 387 incidents were reported in April and 411 in March. February witnessed 366 ceasefire violations and in January, the count stood at 367. Largely, the target of these firings are the forward posts, villages and civilians residing along the Line of Control (LoC) and the international border. In view of the increasing incidents of ceasefire violations, the health infrastructure must be strengthened not just in Poonch but all the border regions of Kashmir. An appeal has also been made by local representatives to the higher authorities in which the plight of people of border areas has been highlighted.
Virus versus conflict
While the world is worried about the spread of the virus, villagers in Poonch have different concerns. The need of the hour is to redesign the health infrastructure of Poonch district keeping in mind its geographical and strategical location. The ongoing conflict will take its own time to resolve but increasing availability and accessibility of medical facilities can ensure timely treatment of the injured persons, decreasing the death rate.
—Charkha Features