Kashmir injured battle medicine shortage

Srinagar, July 12: Demonstrators injured in street protests and warded in hospitals are battling shortages of key medicines, families and volunteers said here. Authorities, however, denied the claim.

Hospitals across the Kashmir Valley, including in Srinagar, have treated hundreds injured due to firing by security forces. The victims have mainly suffered bullet and pellet wounds.

At the Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital in Srinagar, the notice board in the emergency ward has a notification indicating vital medicines including antibiotic injectables like Timentin and Amikacin are out of stock.

Volunteers providing help to the patients too admit about shortage of life saving drugs. But the head of SMHS, Kaiser Ahmed, told the media that "there is no shortage of drugs".

All the medical shops are shut in Srinagar due to the curfew imposed after Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani was killed by security forces on Friday evening.

His death triggered widespread clashes in the Kashmir Valley between mainly young demonstrators and security forces leaving more than 30 people dead and scores injured.

The volunteers of NGOs including Help Poor Voluntary Trust, Athrout and others are providing medicines to the hospitals, including SMHS as well as Bone and Joint hospital in Srinagar.

"We have supplied hundreds of strips of Ciplox, eye drop Moxifloxacin, Prednisolone and other vital drugs to the hospitals," a volunteer told IANS.

"We want to ensure that no injured suffers because of the shortage of medicine," he added.

An attendant at the hospital added: "Young boys have been working in the hospital day and night."

The volunteers, many with their clothes blood stained, have been placed inside every corner of the hospital.

"We make sure no one remains hungry. Our first priority is providing medicine and the second is food," said Javaid, a volunteer.

"I have been arranging medicine from medical representatives and through the limited social media we are able to use," he added.

The stalls outside set up by NGOs provided refreshments to the hundreds of attendants inside the SMHS hospital.

"All that we have eaten so far is from these stalls. No government authority has offered us help," said Aslam Khan, father of an injured boy.

IANS