With the outbreak of this pandemic things have not come just to a sudden halt, they have, in many cases, turned upside down. The most striking example is that of the hospitals. Something that was meant for all the sick and diseased became specific for covid infected patients. In a way pandemic staged a coup in all the hospitals. Initially, neither the administration nor the people, in general, bothered about his. The sense of being overtaken by this health emergency was so overwhelming that it left none room for a thought about its consequence. As things unfolded we realised that dedicating most of the hospitals to covid patients wasn’t such a great idea. Given our limited resource we, in Kashmir, cannot establish hospitals at the speed it was done in China. What we can do is to manage our existing infrastructure efficiently, and make a room for routine patients as well.
Though there is a spike in covid patients from last week, but the concern for non-covid patients, if we can call them so, is growing. There are many news reports that patients have suffered immensely because there is either no space for them in the hospitals, or they desist going there, fearing they might contract covid. The result is that patients are suffering, their ailments are worsening, and it endangers many lives. In this situation administration cannot look the other when it comes to making arrangements for regular patients. How this can be done is a hard matter right now. But doctors, and other concerned people must be taken on board to find out solution to this problem. There are serious ailments, like cancer, that can brook no delay. At a time when private clinics are mostly closed if hospitals also deny treatment to regular patients, where would these people go. Either we should designate some hospitals for covid patients, and make the rest available for regular patient care. Else, make some emergency arrangement for regular patient care. The current situation is not tenable, and the administration should seriously get thinking about it.