Residents protest delay in hospital referral amid snowfall; CMO says matter under investigation
Bandipora, Oct 14: Markets in Dawar, the main town of Gurez in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, remained shut on Wednesday as residents staged a protest over the death of a pregnant woman and her baby, alleging a delay in shifting her to a hospital in Bandipora.
The protesters raised slogans against the local administration, particularly Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Gurez, alleging that restrictions on movement delayed the woman’s transfer despite her critical condition.
As per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), residents blocked roads, shut shops and staged a sit-in in Dawar to protest the deaths.
The deceased, Haseen Bagem, wife of Showket Hameed Lone, was a resident of Mazgund village in Tulail. She was shifted to District Hospital Bandipora on Wednesday morning after developing complications during pregnancy. Her baby was stillborn.
As already reported by KNO, she was taken to a primary health centre in Sheikhpora late Tuesday evening, but no medical staff was available there. She was subsequently taken to Sub-District Hospital Gurez, where doctors advised that she be shifted to Bandipora for further treatment due to low blood levels.
SDM Gurez Dr Mukhtar told KNO that he received a call from a medical officer informing him that the patient needed to be shifted to District Hospital Bandipora. However, snowfall around Razdan Pass had caused delays, he said.
He said he subsequently contacted Project Beacon and other concerned authorities, who assured him that the road was open. The patient was then shifted to the district hospital in the early hours of Wednesday, he added.
Block Medical Officer Gurez Dr Feroz Iqbal also told KNO that the medical authorities had contacted the administration in time but were not allowed to shift the patient to Bandipora promptly.
Chief Medical Officer Bandipora Dr Bhajan Kour said the department is investigating the matter and termed the deaths unfortunate.
