Srinagar, Residents of Bandipora in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir have been left waiting for the completion of a local health center for the past eight years, highlighting a significant neglect by the Indian government towards the healthcare needs of the community.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the health center project in Zurimanz village, home primarily to fishermen, has seen little to no progress since its inception in 2016, following the demolition of an existing sub-center building. The project, hindered by funding issues and marked by the Housing Board’s apparent disregard, remains incomplete despite the construction of a concrete structure.

Bashir Ahmad, a local fisherman, voiced his frustration over the current state of healthcare facilities in the village, pointing out the inadequacies of the existing one-room building that serves as a sub-center due to the absence of medical professionals and essential equipment.

Despite numerous pleas for intervention, including protests, memorandums to authorities, and appeals to the local MLA and district administration, the community’s requests for the health center’s completion have been largely ignored.

The ongoing delay in establishing a fully functional health center has severely impacted the villagers’ health, particularly affecting women and children. Pregnant women are forced to undertake long journeys to access basic healthcare services, a situation that has led to tragic incidents, including the deaths of newborns due to the lack of immediate medical care.

The situation in Bandipora exemplifies the broader issue of governmental neglect towards the healthcare infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, underlining a disregard for the basic human rights of its inhabitants to accessible and quality healthcare services.