As the complete disruption of normal life in Kashmir Valley is now about to enter the third month, the situation for more than six million people living in this landlocked place is aggravating with each passing day. At least thirty one people have been killed since last Friday alone, while the death toll now having reached 50 since the public protests began on June 11 this year. Sadly, those killed include women and children as well. Hundreds of the injured are battling for their lives in untold suffering, either in hospitals or in their homes. There have been amputations of body organs of some of the injured. Some others have developed other physical disabilities which are normally quite hard to live with. There is hardly any mechanism right now which could help track the needs of such people. Beyond this suffering, there is the suffering of another kind - the suffering that emanates from the fast aggravating humanitarian situation in the Valley. The formal supply lines for food and other essential commodities have just vanished in Kashmir since the last two months. Informal supply lines, which have been feeding certain areas, are exhausting too. Thousands of children are going without milk across Kashmir these days, particularly those in urban areas, which are totally cut off from informal and formal supply lines. There are of course people in any social set up who need a particular kind of food to deal with their ailments and diseases. Lack of access to such food will, quite naturally, aggravate illnesses and enhance mortalities. Lack of availability of milk and other nutritional foodstuff is affecting children’s wellbeing. S Some of the impacts of this situation may not be visible in the short term. Those impacts are normally seen in the longer term – manifesting in both physical and psychological disabilities. Looking at the situation in the Valley’s healthcare system, people’s lack of access to hospitals and emergency medical care, hindrances created by paramilitary and police forces in certain instances in the travel of ambulances, there is a medical emergency of mammoth proportions across Kashmir. People are not able to access life saving medicines for ailments like hypertension, diabetes, etc. Psychiatrists and clinical psychologists warn that people who are on psychotropic drugs like anti-depressants, tranquilizers, etc. might just go back into severe conditions of depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) if they are not able to access these prescribed drugs. Thousands of other people are not able to access pain relievers, epilepsy drugs, etc. Those on vital nuclear therapies are just losing the battles for life. Thousands of others, who were required to perform vital medical tests, and get diagnosed, are just not able to do anything of that sort. And there is no way as of now to keep track of that suffering and the resultant deaths. I In normal circumstances, hundreds of women are admitted in various maternity hospitals in the Valley on daily basis. There is a 70 per cent drop in admissions to such hospitals in the current situation. Nobody is in a position to know what happens to women with labor conditions. There are reports that even deaths have occurred as a result of unavailability of medical care for labor conditions. In view of almost near-total break-down of normal governance systems, these circumstances require extraordinary response. The role played by the medical, para-medical staff in government and private hospitals in these circumstances is highly commendable. However, they need extra support, primarily safety and security. Government, on its part, needs to create conditions which could enable the people to access life saving medicines and essential commodities. The system of indefinite curfews has to be re-considered. Similarly, those spearheading this current movement need to ensure that people are given windows of opportunities to avail the essentials. The handful of international humanitarian aid agencies which work in Kashmir seem to have gone into hibernation. Under these circumstances they must also step in and create special helpline services that will enable the needy people access life saving medicines, foodstuff and other life-saving services.

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 21:30:00 Mecca time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Aug 2010 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Aug 2010 00:00:00 IST