The higher covid death rate in Jammu does not give a license to the top helmsmen of the health & medical education department to show regional or religious bias even in the installation of oxygen plants. Since availability of oxygen could give a new life to any covid patient but it’s unavailability could also reduce the chances of survival of any covid patient, so better for the top helmsmen of the health & medical education department not to use the availability of oxygen plants, ventilators and vaccines in Jammu region as a tool of appeasement of their political bosses in Delhi and Jammu but to ensure the availability of all the three facilities ,i.e, oxygen plants, ventilators and vaccines in sufficient quantity in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division to save precious human lives from falling prey to covid-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly Jammu division has witnessed a surge in Covid-related deaths since the outbreak of second strain of covid-19 pandemic last month but equally irrefutable fact is that the surge in the no of positive case is far far higher in Kashmir valley than in Jammu division and as such chances of unprecedented increase in the frequency of covid deaths in coming week in Kashmir valley can’t be ruled out. Keeping in view the experiences of increasing surge in covid deaths in Jammu division the government has to keep the facilities in a state of preparedness to the reduce the chances of any unprecedented increase in the no of covid deaths in Kashmir valley. Shifting medical assets from one region to the other amid rise in the no of both positive cases and as well as deaths speaks volumes about the wisdom of the top helmsmen of the health & medical education department and such unwise decision would only intensify the mortality rates across Jammu and Kashmir . Day in and day out we hear about physical inspection of health facilities by Lt Governor, his Advisors, the Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner health & medical education at dedicated covid care health facilities in Jammu city and major towns of Jammu division but no such inspection visits by top helmsmen are reported from any covid care health facilitiy centre in Srinagar city or any major town of Kashmir valley.
Prime Minister announcing an audit of the ventilators and oxygen plants provided by the central government is a welcome move but people of Jammu & Kashmir would believe the words of the Prime Minister if the audit begins with an impartial probe into the causes that led to the delay in supply order of PSA oxygen units in Jammu till May 7 the cause of which is stated to be the failure of the commencement of the contract with the supplier as this is the reason cited for shifting of three 1,000 litres-per-minute (LPM) oxygen units from Kashmir to Jammu. After all audit is the only way to check realities but if it does not end up the conflicts in the covid care strategies the promises of even Prime Minister would bring only gloom and not satisfaction to the families of the covid patients and as well as the covid victims and more so in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country.
Ironically Prime Minister of the country has found enough time to interact with a very less known former of a distant village of Srinagar district over the functioning of his vegetable farm just to convey a message of normalcy about Kashmir to the outside world but he does not find time to reach out to the covid patients through video conferencing to listen their grievances over the shortage of ventilators, oxygen units and vaccines at any top referral hospital in Srinagar or Jammu. We would believe Prime Minister’s remark that he has special love and affection for Kashmir and Kashmiris if he would have reached out through video conferencing to the patients crying for oxygen facilities, ventilators and vaccines in covid dedicated hospitals at Srinagar and Jammu. Prime Minister announcing an audit of the ventilators and oxygen plants provided by the central government is a welcome move but people of Jammu & Kashmir would believe the words of the Prime Minister if the audit begins with an impartial probe into the causes that led to the delay in supply order of PSA oxygen units in Jammu till May 7 the cause of which is stated to be the failure of the commencement of the contract with the supplier as this is the reason cited for shifting of three 1,000 litres-per-minute (LPM) oxygen units from Kashmir to Jammu. After all audit is the only way to check realities but if it does not end up the conflicts in the covid care strategies the promises of even Prime Minister would bring only gloom and not satisfaction to the families of the covid patients and as well as the covid victims and more so in Jammu & Kashmir than any other part of the country.
