Srinagar June 25: Jammu Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM) has demanded immediate sanction and establishment of a specialised maternity hospital in Kupwara.
In a press release, JKPM Vice President Advocate Syed Iqbal Tahir said that a far-flung district like Kupwara having the population of more than 12 lac and comprising of five assembly constituencies of Lolab, Langate, Handwara, Kupwara and Karnah is without a maternity hospital till date. He demanded that concrete steps should be taken by the concerned authorities so that Kupwara gets its maternity hospital and patients from far off places of the district won’t suffer.
Iqbal Tahir said that people from border areas of the district even LOC come with pregnant lady patients to Handwara and Kupwara and are mostly referred to hospitals to Srinagar, where there is already an unbearable rush in the maternity institutes especially in government Lal Ded Hospital.
“Health is a vital indicator of human development and human development is the basic ingredient of economic and social development, ” Iqbal Tahir said and added, “The right to health is inherent to a life with dignity. Though the Supreme court of India in a series of judgments has declared the right to health care to be a fundamental right, what is also quite unfortunate is that in a state where poor and marginalized are more in members and these people cannot afford paid services in any government and private hospitals, the state has failed to set up proper health infrastructure.”
“People are angry with the administration for turning a deaf ear to the genuine problems confronted by the poor and general public of Kupwara, ” he said.
Iqbal Tahir further said that the people are vehemently advocating that a maternity hospital for Kupwara be allotted and constructed as early as possible.
The statement further said that the approach of the local state-run health facilities in wake of sheer unaccountability and lack of infrastructure to meet the rising demands has pushed the people of the district especially poor to a wall. “Every life is precious to us and the government has an obligation to make an effort to save every life, ” he said.