“Please come quickly into the triage room, we have an emergency” shrieked a nurse to the doctors who were busy treating patients in the casualty of the hospital. There was a heaving commotion in the corridor. This was nothing unusual in the emergency area of the hospital. Doctors thought some accident case or heart attack or some surgical debacle might have come. As soon as the doctors entered the triage room, they were shocked to see a handsome young man lying lifeless on a stretcher. “Connect the leads quickly, put on a high flow oxygen mask, get the intubation trolley immediately”, said one of the doctors.
The doctors had no idea about the condition of the patient. They were looking for someone who could give details about the patient. However, to their surprise, nobody came inquiring about the condition of the patient. So, one of the doctors said, “Who brought this person to the hospital and why? What is his name?” One of the persons standing there replied, “ He is our paying guest. We brought him to the hospital. But we don’t know his name…..” Before he could complete, the ECG technician intervened and divulged, “Sir, the ECG is flat!” Meanwhile, another doctor who was examining the patient noticed something and started basic life support for the patient. All the doctors and the paramedics tried their level best to revive the patient. Alas, there was no sign of life and the young man was declared brought dead to the hospital!
Here was an unnamed, unresponsive and unclaimed young man with no one to mourn his death. The situation was precarious. Surprisingly, it came to light that the owner had not registered his paying guest with the police. Later, the evidence collected by the police from his room and the examination by doctors suggested probable cause of death as an intravenous drug overdose. Despite the history of substance abuse, the young man was allowed by his parents to rent a room all alone.
Sadly, a staggering number of people, predominantly youth in Kashmir are slipping into the dangerous and dark alleys of drug abuse. Drug addiction is the novel emerging trend in Kashmir. The time when young minds ought to be creative and constructive, they are being invaded by drug abuse. The recently published data reveals there has been a more than 1,500 per cent increase in patients in Kashmir approaching the hospital seeking treatment for substance abuse in three years. While 489 drug abusers had reported at the IMHANS Srinagar in 2016, the number grew to 7,420 in 2019. In July 2021, doctors at Drug De-Addiction Center at SMHS Hospital were shocked to see a 10-year-old admitted for heroin abuse and Hepatitis C infection. There are also reports of young females resorting to substance abuse. And as per experts, it is just the tip of the iceberg!
The research paper “Pattern and prevalence of substance use and dependence in Kashmir: Special focus on Opioids (Jan 2021)” by Dr Yasir Hassan Rather et al, established that youth exposed to a political conflict are more prone to substance abuse. Many studies document a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders such as Post Traumatic Disorder (PTSD) and depression because of conflict in Kashmir. The study details the bi-directional relationship between substance use and other mental disorders. The research also referred to multiple studies documenting a higher prevalence of substance use disorders in conflict-ridden areas while data from Kashmir was astonishingly missing. Besides conflict, the other frequent reason for the high prevalence of substance abuse in Kashmir is the curiosity to see what happens after consuming the drugs, and of course, the peer pressure that makes one do things just to see how they work.
The substance abuse among the youth of Kashmir is intensifying as a major challenge and is going to be extremely detrimental for the future of Kashmir. If this debacle persists unabated, we are heading towards doom. Society in general and the parents in particular, have to play a major role in preventing the youth from falling prey to this deadly menace. Besides being quite vigilant about the company and friends of their children, parents need to engage very much with their kids and guide them. Across various socio-economic sections, parents need to spare time for their children. Nothing can compensate for it.
Religious scholars need to emphasize the devastating effects of drug abuse and make places of worship vibrant for interaction and debate beyond routine Friday sermons. Instead of bombarding scorn and censure on youth through FB pages and YouTube channels, our Ulema Sahibaan need to be empathetic and move past hurling harsh and humiliating statements. Other than only sermonizing in mosques and on social media, they need to go into the various circles of society, study the minds, and then propose and apply reformative strategies. ‘Sinners’ can’t be cast off eternally. The doors of Allah’s Mercy never close. Redemption is the spirit of our belief. The policymakers may devise a plan to educate and aware the children from school to university level about the disastrous impact of substance abuse, smoking and alcohol consumption on mental and physical health.
No point putting behind bars almost 1400 persons involved in drug-related crimes if the drug abuse keeps growing terrifyingly. The recent Mission Waapsi initiative by the Srinagar administration for rehabilitation of drug abuse victims needs to be followed up rigorously and implemented across Kashmir. It is high time administration breaks the chain of drug dealing, cracks down on any nexus, and prevents the availability of drugs in the market.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts, analysis, assumptions and perspective appearing in the article do not reflect the views of GK