Bandipora, 14 Oct: A pregnant woman from the remote Gurez valley died on her way to District Hospital Bandipora early Wednesday morning, while her baby was stillborn, following allegations by her family that heavy snowfall and official movement restrictions fatally delayed her medical referral.
The deceased, identified as Haseen Begum, wife of Showket Hameed Lone from Mazgund village in Tulail, was initially taken to the primary health centre in Sheikhpora late Tuesday evening.
According to the family, they found no medical staff available at the rural facility, forcing them to shift her to the sub-district hospital in Gurez.
There, doctors diagnosed her with severely low haemoglobin levels and advised an immediate referral to Bandipora for emergency care.
However, the family said they were initially barred from crossing the high-altitude Razdan pass due to heavy snowfall and nighttime movement restrictions imposed in the border area.
“We contacted Project Beacon officials who assured us they would clear the road ahead of the ambulance, but the sub-divisional magistrate in Gurez did not allow us to move,” family members alleged.
The family claimed Begum remained in severe pain throughout the night, and that her baby died in the womb at the Gurez hospital around midnight. The grieving relatives also questioned the lack of emergency blood supplies, pointing out that a blood bank had been inaugurated at the local health facility just months earlier.
Addressing the allegations, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Gurez told Greater Kashmir that movement had to be stopped overnight due to severe weather that posed an immediate threat to life.
“There was heavy snowfall and high winds until midnight, with around eight inches of snow accumulating on the road,” the magistrate said. “A fire services vehicle had already skidded earlier. Had an ambulance moved in those conditions with four or five passengers, it risked skidding as well. We had to consider their safety.”
The SDM clarified that he was officially alerted about the emergency by the Block Medical Officer only at 4:00 am on Wednesday.
”As soon as the BMO informed me, I contacted the Border Roads Organisation immediately,” he said. “The officer commanding did not answer my call, but I managed to reach the officer-in-charge and the concerned junior engineer. They mobilised their machinery to clear the pass. To avoid any further loss of time, I allowed the ambulance to leave while it was still dark, expecting the road to be cleared ahead of them as they proceeded.”
He added that while the ambulance made it through, the woman tragically passed away before reaching the hospital. The magistrate stated he had no details regarding the circumstances of the stillbirth at the Gurez facility, noting that only medical authorities could explain that aspect.
Dr Mukhtar Ahmad, medical superintendent of District Hospital Bandipora, told Greater Kashmir that the woman was declared “brought dead” upon arrival in the early hours of Wednesday.
“The attendants informed us she may have passed away on the way near Razdan Top,” Ahmad said. He confirmed she was referred from Gurez due to low haemoglobin levels, adding that the child had already died in the womb at the sub-district hospital.
The health administration has since taken note of the allegations regarding staff absence and medical delays.
Bandipora Chief Medical Officer Bhajan Kour told Greater Kashmir, “We are investigating the incident.”
Meanwhile, despite several attempts to contact Block Medical Officer Gurez, Dr Feroz Iqbal, for his version of events, his phone remained switched off.
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