Poor, patients left to fend for themselves

Srinagar, Apr 21: As cold winds tighten their grip over the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, thousands of stranded passengers — among them the sick, the elderly, and the poor - are stranded in the cold. With no transport, no shelter, and no food, the wait for the stranded grows longer. Meanwhile, Health Minister Sakina Itoo said that the government was extending all possible assistance.

Mukhti Begum, a paralysed patient who was being brought back from PGI Chandigarh by her family was being kept in a low-budget hotel.

Belonging to a south Kashmir district, her family said it was getting difficult for them to manage the food and hotel anymore.

“There are at least 12 patients that I know of, who are in nearby accommodations. The government must at least give special consideration to airlift stranded patients,” her son Muhammad Aslam said.

Many patients from Kashmir travel to hospitals outside Kashmir for treatment of chronic and life-threatening diseases.

Cabinet Minister Sakina Itoo told Greater Kashmir that the district administration of Jammu, Ramban, and all other districts where cloudbursts, landslides, and torrential rain had caused disruption of basic services were on high alert.

She said that the Health Department had also been instructed to send mobile teams to areas which remained cut off due to damage to roads.

“The administration is on its toes and we understand that people are facing a lot of difficulties. They can contact the nearby health facilities or district administration to seek assistance,” Itoo said.

She said more manpower and facilities would be deployed on the ground.

“If there is a patient who needs help, they can contact my office,” Itoo said.

Talking to the media, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah highway restoration was a priority of the government and relief measures would be started soon.

He said that the Centre had sent the National Disaster Force (NDF) to the locations of the disaster.

He also mentioned exploring the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the natural calamity relief measures.

Director of Health Services Jammu, Dr Abdul Hamid Zargar told Greater Kashmir that no injuries were reported from the affected areas, although routine medical emergencies were being catered to.

“We have cancelled all leaves and full staff strength is present at District Hospital Ramban,” he said. Dr Zargar said that many stranded passengers had reported to nearby health centres located along the highway.

“Our ambulances are at the ends of every motorable stretch to help people reach hospitals,” he said.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Ramban said all health facilities in the district were fully operational.

“We received three casualties. There was a brief challenge in managing oxygen cylinders, but the challenge was overcome. Currently, all facilities and staff in health facilities are adequate and we continue to be vigilant,” he said.

However, thousands of passengers are facing difficulties in managing basic needs like food and shelter.

Videos showing hundreds of people taking shelter at bus stands and railway stations in Jammu and Udhampur depict how helplessness was being aggravated by poverty.

People complained of not being provided any food while they faced an ordeal in making a meal possible, being stranded for days.