Snowfury: Shopian man dies on a makeshift stretcher, on way to hospital

Srinagar: After heavy snowfall across the Kashmir valley, patients and their attendants had to face extreme hardships to reach to the hospitals as the roads leading to different hospitals were not fully cleared of snow.
Patients and their attendants at hospitals said said that they had to face lot of hardships as snow from the roads was not cleared in several areas, making them difficult to reach hospitals.
“It took me two hours to reach SMHS hospital from Shaletang such is the condition of the main road even I could not walk on foot as road was so slippery,” said a resident of Srinagar outskirts.
People, especially in South Kashmir had to face extreme difficulties to reach the healthcare facilities as some people and family members of patients had to take their patients on cot to make it to hospitals.
Reports said that a patient Halima (45) from south Kashmir’s Pulwama district had complained of stomach pain and was taken on a cot from Dadoora to district hospital Pulwama as the road leading to the hospital was not cleared.
Another family from South Kashmir’s Anantnag district had to lift their female patient on a cot as Mechanical Engineer Department failed to clear snow from the road connecting this village with Aishmuqam in Anantnag.
Reports also poured from north Kashmir’s Bandipora district where a nine months pregnant lady had to cover the distance of 5 kilometers on foot to reach a health centre in Sumbal.
Meanwhile, two families from south Kashmir’s Mandhole area of Devsar in Kulgam district said due to non-clearance of roads in the area their relatives could not visit them for condolences after untimely demises in their respective families on Wednesday.
They appealed to the district authorities to clear the snow from roads so that their relatives can visit them.
Deputy Commissioner Kulgam Showkat Ejaz Bhat said the area is covered with a lot of snow and the men and machinery are on job in other areas.
He said they will divert some machine toward this area to clear the snow from the roads.
Meanwhile, an elderly man from Keller belt of South Kashmir’s Shopian district died while he was being taken to hospital on a make shift stretcher.
Locals said that an elderly man Bashir Ahmad Famda son of Abdul Rehman Famda, a resident of Batafojan Chown locality of Keller complained of some chest related issues.
They said that due to un-cleared road and heavy accumulation of snow, his family members and relatives failed to shift him to hospital.
Later with the help of some locals, they tried to take him to hospital on a makeshift stretcher, however, he breathed his last before reaching the hospital, they said