The kind of cold we experience in winters, especially for the core months, is not an ordinary transition of season. The dip in temperatures is not just a matter of statistics, and the snowfall and icicles are not meant only for taking pictures. Winters, in Kashmir, entail a complete transition of lifestyle. Even in this era of gadgets and technologies we are finally at the mercy of the little flakes that finally break our back. Winter brings in its wake a million different problems. The cold that bites us in the face, ultimately leaves us crushed.
Though we have many heating apparatus now available in market but the supply of electricity defeats the very existence of such costly appliances. Those running on gas or kerosine face the same problem, as people cannot afford to spend so much on running these heating equipments. The net result is that the cold cripples us. The most difficult and cruel part of it is that it enhances the risk of many ailments that could prove, at times, fatal. We have many deaths that happen during these months and can be attributed to cold. There are many people who trip down and break a limb. There are respiratory problems that aggravate.
And there many cases of heart attacks because of this cold. Doctors in the valley have time to time issued there valuable suggestions on this and alarmed the people living in Kashmir. This is particularly dangerous for old aged members of our families. If our resources allowed, and if there were an imaginative administration, the winter months should have been declared as a standing health emergency, and necessary arrangement put in place.
We should have a large contingent of critical care ambulances that would respond to emergency calls from people. It is a common knowledge that in case of health emergencies, like cardiac arrest, first few minutes are considers as golden period. We normally miss that opportunity and many lives are lost. This administration, particularly those dealing with healthcare, should formulate a long drawn plan that takes into account even the smallest detail regarding the health crisis that engulf us during winters.