Bandipora, Oct 14: A pregnant woman from remote Gurez died while being shifted to District Hospital Bandipora early Wednesday, while her baby was stillborn, amid allegations by her family that snowfall and restrictions on night-time movement delayed her emergency referral.
The deaths triggered protests and a shutdown in Gurez, with residents demanding accountability and questioning emergency healthcare facilities in the remote border valley.
The deceased, Haseen Begum, wife of Showket Hameed Lone of Mazgund village in Tulail, was first taken to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Sheikhpora late Tuesday evening.
Her family alleged that no medical staff were available there, forcing them to shift her to the Sub-District Hospital in Gurez.
Doctors at the hospital reportedly found her haemoglobin levels critically low and advised immediate referral to Bandipora for emergency treatment.
However, the family alleged that heavy snowfall and restrictions on night-time movement initially prevented the ambulance from crossing Razdan Pass.
“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 said Begum remained in severe pain throughout the night and that her baby died in the womb at the Gurez hospital around midnight. They also questioned the availability of emergency blood supplies, saying a blood bank had been inaugurated at the local health facility only a few months ago.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Gurez Mukhtar Ahmad said movement had to be restricted overnight because severe weather made travel dangerous.
“There was heavy snowfall and high winds until midnight, with around eight inches of snow accumulating on the road,” he told Greater Kashmir.
SDM said a fire services vehicle had already skidded on the road, making ambulance movement hazardous.
“Had an ambulance moved in those conditions with four or five passengers, it risked skidding as well. We had to consider their safety,” he said.
The SDM said he was informed about the emergency by the Block Medical Officer at around 4 am on Wednesday.
He immediately contacted the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to arrange road clearance.
Although the officer commanding did not answer his call, Ahmad said he managed to contact the officer-in-charge and the concerned junior engineer, who mobilised 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 said.
The ambulance managed to cross the pass, but Begum died before reaching the hospital, he added.
Ahmad said he had no details about the circumstances surrounding the stillbirth at the Gurez hospital and that the medical authorities were best placed to clarify the matter.
Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Bandipora Dr Mukhtar Ahmad said Begum was declared “brought dead” on arrival.
“The attendants informed us she may have passed away on the way near Razdan Top,” he told Greater Kashmir.
He confirmed that she had been referred from Gurez because of low haemoglobin levels and said the baby had already died in the womb at the sub-district hospital.
Chief Medical Officer Bandipora Bhajan Kour said the health administration was examining allegations of staff absence and delays in treatment.
“We are investigating the incident,” she said.
Repeated attempts to contact Block Medical Officer (BMO) Gurez Dr Feroz Iqbal for his version of events were unsuccessful, as his phone remained switched off.
The deaths sparked protests in Gurez, with residents taking to the streets and markets observing a shutdown to demand accountability. The local administration, hospital authorities and police intervened to pacify the protesters.
Former DDC member from Tulail Raja Aijaz criticised the healthcare facilities in Gurez, alleging that government claims of improved services did not match the ground situation.
“Despite the claims, the Gurez hospital is no less than a slaughterhouse, and the overall facilities are near to zero or nothing at all,” he alleged.
Questioning the administration’s winter preparedness, Aijaz said Deputy Commissioner Bandipora had convened a meeting in Gurez just days earlier to review arrangements for the winter season.
“Despite this, we had to witness these tragic deaths,” he said.
He said winter conditions posed serious challenges for pregnant women and critically ill patients in the valley and questioned whether the administration had received advance weather advisories.
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