Sameer Showkin Lone
As a journalist, I have reported on Kashmir’s healthcare system for over a decade. My journey began in 2012, and until 2018, I extensively covered the state of healthcare in the Valley, particularly in Government Medical College Srinagar-associated hospitals like SMHS, GB Pant (Children’s Hospital), Bone & Joint Hospital, and Lal Ded. During this period, I uncovered the tragic deaths of newborns at GB Pant Hospital, a revelation that caused public outrage and ultimately led to the suspension of the then Medical Superintendent.
A Medical Emergency
On January 26, 2025, shortly after the Republic Day celebrations, a medical emergency occurred at home. Within minutes, I rushed to District Hospital Pulwama. To my dismay, without a thorough consultation, my patient—an expecting mother—was referred to Lal Ded Hospital.
Forty minutes later, I arrived at Lal Ded, this time not as a journalist but as an attendant.
Inside Lal Ded
My first encounter was with the security guard at the main gate, where an Exit sign board was prominently displayed. When I questioned why vehicles were entering through an exit, the guard had no response. Instead, he directed me to turn around and ENTER through the designated EXIT route.
From admission to routine check-ups and eventually to the labor room, the process was largely smooth—though exhausting for attendants. My patient was taken to the operation theatre at 11:50 PM, and by 2:30 AM, a C-section was successfully performed. The delivery went smoothly.
Post-Delivery: A System of Unchecked Corruption
What followed over the next two nights and two days exposed the harsh reality that poor patients and their attendants endure at Lal Ded.
A young man from Budgam, awaiting his wife’s delivery, withdrew Rs. 1000 from an ATM outside. “This is for chai… these people expect it. They get angry if they are not paid,” he said, referring to hospital staff.
Despite anti-corruption signboards displayed across the hospital, my experience proved otherwise. When my patient was wheeled out of the OT on a trolley to the Recovery Room, the demands for money began—from the person pushing the trolley to the one collecting post-operative paperwork.
This so-called chai system is nothing short of institutionalized corruption. Throughout my stay, I had to argue with numerous paramedics and hospital staff who shamelessly demanded money.
A System That Thrives Despite Warnings
The irony is that signboards prohibiting bribery and corruption are placed at every corner of Lal Ded Hospital. Yet, the practice continues unabated.
Coming Up: The Security Guards of Lal Ded
In the next part of this story, I will detail the role of security guards at Lal Ded Hospital. Their behavior towards attendants is authoritarian, as if they are managing a law-and-order crisis rather than assisting worried families. Their conduct is unlike anything I have witnessed in any other hospital in India. Stay tuned for Part 2…
[Author is a public policy professional and a journalist. He is Ex-Aspirational District Fellow, at NITI Aayog, Govt of India.]
