A visit to a government hospital in Kashmir often begins with hope and ends in exhaustion.

The buildings look better than they did a decade ago. Fresh paint, improved infrastructure, advanced diagnostic facilities, specialist departments, landscaped grounds, and expanding treatment options signal progress. 

Anyone passing through the gates of major institutions such as SKIMS, SMHS, or the Government Medical Colleges could reasonably conclude that public healthcare is moving in the right direction.

But that impression changes quickly inside.

Patients stand in long queues, attendants wander through crowded corridors searching for answers, registration counters overflow, consultation schedules lose meaning, nurses juggle an endless stream of demands, and doctors confront far more people than any appointment list suggests. 

Voices rise, tempers flare, and confusion becomes part of the treatment experience.

The central problem is not a lack of medical expertise. Kashmir has talented doctors, committed nurses, and hospitals that perform procedures once unavailable in the region. 

The deeper problem is disorder. 

A healthcare system can possess skilled professionals and modern equipment while still failing patients through poor........

© Kashmir Observer