Pregnant women stuck in Kashmir blockade
The family of a 25-yearold woman is looking for a house on rent near a private maternity hospital in Srinagar where they can move in when she enters her ninth month of pregnancy. Her baby is due in October.
The unique arrangement became necessary because of security clampdown after Kashmir plunged into unrest over the killing of militant leader Burhan Wani on July 8. The Valley was under curfew for 51 days and 71 people were killed in clashes with security forces.
Caught between stone-throwing protesters, security forces firing pellets, and unprecedented pickets and strikes by separatists, people are forced to adopt desperate measures in times of emergencies.
“We don’t want to get caught between stone-pelters and security men; and travelling in the night can be dangerous,” a member of the woman’s family said. They live on the outskirts of Srinagar, at least 10km from the hospital.
Another young woman from downtown Srinagar lost her child on Wednesday. She could not reach the hospital on time. She was taken to the hospital on a bike when her labour started. “After much argument with security forces and protesters, she made it to a tertiary maternity care hospital in Srinagar. Since her blood pressure was very high, she lost the child,” a neighbour said.
Doctors say high levels of stress during the crucial hours can result in complications for both mother and the newborn. “Psychological stress of any kind, be it stone, gun or grenade, has a debilitating effect on both mother and child,” said Farhat Jabeen, a popular gynaecologist and head of the department at Lal Ded Hospital, Kashmir’s lone hospital exclusive for maternity care. Doctors said if pregnant women are deprived of proper nutrition — due to nonavailability of food during curfews and shutdowns — the risk of preterm birth increases or the baby may have low birth weight. Naseema of Waskul village in north Kashmir’s Yusmarg was lucky to get a private vehicle to carry her to hospital in Magam, a few kilometres away. “From there we managed to get an ambulance to Lal Ded Hospital as her case was complicated,” a family member said. “People reach the hospital mostly on their own, but we have arranged for drop-back after delivery,” said medical superintendent Mushtaq Ahmad Rather.