SRINAGAR: Residents of Badhaal village in Rajouri have raised concerns about a mysterious illness that has claimed 17 lives over the past six weeks. The issue has drawn political attention, with ruling National Conference MLA from Budhal constituency, Javed Choudhary, accusing the dual power structure in Jammu and Kashmir of exacerbating the crisis.
On Thursday, Choudhary alleged that bureaucratic inefficiency and a lack of coordination among officials had hindered critical interventions for patients. He claimed that three sisters who fell ill on Wednesday could not be transferred to PGI Chandigarh due to delays and mismanagement. “No one is willing to take responsibility for the patients. Officers and doctors are playing it safe under the dual power system,” the MLA told the Chandigah newspaper The Tribune.
Choudhary attributed the failure to the strained relationship between the Centre and the state, accusing officials of passing the buck and engaging in ego clashes. He criticised the Principal of GMC Jammu, alleging that a lack of cooperation prevented the transfer of the critically ill sisters to PGI Chandigarh, despite their referral from Rajouri.
The MLA also alleged that a recent Union Home Ministry team sent to investigate the outbreak had been ineffective, focusing more on “photo ops” than actionable outcomes. He called for an air ambulance to be stationed for patients from Badhaal and urged the government to declare the situation a national emergency.
When The Tribune contacted the GMC Jammu Principal Dr Ashutosh Gupta , he clarified the events surrounding the transfer. He said the hospital had prepared ambulances to transport the three sisters to PGIMER Chandigarh by road. However, the PGIMER administration declined to accept the patients due to a lack of available beds.
In a bid to contain the outbreak, over 200 individuals who came into contact with affected families have been shifted to quarantine centres. These individuals, including close relatives of the deceased and others involved in patient care and burial rituals, are being monitored at the Government Nursing College in Rajouri. Interestingly, the district administration has assigned different jobs to as many as 12 officers to manage the 200 individuals. Managing tooth paste, brushes and hair oils has been given to one officers and the bedding to two different departments. While involving a crowd of officers could be messy for eventual accounting, it actually make no single person responsible for the well being of the individuals, concerned people from the district said.
Authorities have implemented stringent measures at the quarantine centre, including round-the-clock medical supervision, food and water testing, and enhanced security to control access. District officials have been tasked with closely monitoring the quarantined individuals to identify any new cases of unexplained illness.
Despite these efforts, the relocation has sparked concern among residents. Government and health officials have maintained that the deaths are not linked to a communicable disease, raising questions about the necessity and effectiveness of the quarantine measures.
The situation in Badhaal remains dire, with the mysterious illness continuing to baffle medical experts and expose systemic shortcomings in the state’s healthcare and administrative machinery.
