‘Suspected patients lock doctors, cough on their face’

Srinagar, Mar 30: While doctors and other paramedical staff in Kashmir are risking their lives to save people in Kashmir and across the world, they are also facing a brunt of criticism and awkward rebukes from some patients and attendants.

Narrating one such incident, Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr Sami Rashid wrote on her personal Twitter handle that people need to be more empathetic during these troubling times.

“Inspite of grave provocations – including a case of a patient locking doctors out of a ward and another suspect patient coughing on the face of a female doctor, out of spite – doctors are relentlessly working round the clock to save lives. Please be kind in this moment of crisis,” wrote Dr Rashid.

“Doctors, nurses & paramedic staff along with all other healthcare and sanitary workers are risking their lives to save yours. Kindly have some empathy towards them & their families in this time of crisis. This is not the time to criticize or raise fingers. Stay home, stay safe,” she added.

While the healthcare facilities in Kashmir are average, the doctors and other medical staff here have generally been exemplary in their duties.

Working around limited infrastructure and shortage of proper safety equipment, these professionals, so far, have done their best to treat and isolate coronavirus patients and suspects, the numbers of whom are surging with each passing day.

Till Monday morning, while no fresh cases of coronavirus were declared in Kashmir, three more positive cases were found in Jammu taking the total number of such cases in the division to 12 and across J&K to 41. 

Government spokesperson Rohit Kansal tweeted the status update: No new cases in Kashmir Division; In Jammu Division 3 new positive cases. Total for J&K now 41.”