SRINAGAR: In the remote border village of Lachipora, tucked within the hills of Tehsil Boniyar in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, a quiet crisis has been unfolding for years. Home to nearly 4,000 people, the village continues to function without round-the-clock access to a child specialist or gynaecologist—services that are essential for the well-being of any community, but especially vital in a region so vulnerable to geographical isolation and harsh weather.
At present, the village’s lone health facility remains unequipped to handle even the most basic maternal or paediatric emergencies. When complications arise, villagers are forced to undertake a long and often dangerous journey of nearly 40 kilometres to the Baramulla District Hospital. In winter, when snow blocks roads and communication links break down, this distance becomes insurmountable. Expectant mothers have had to deliver on the way, while children suffering from fevers or infections have gone without timely medical attention.
Local residents say they have raised the issue time and again with elected representatives, but their concerns have largely gone ignored. What hurts more than the lack of infrastructure, many say, is the sense of abandonment they feel. “We don’t ask for luxury, just dignity,” said a resident, recalling the trauma his family endured during a medical emergency that turned fatal due to delays in reaching Baramulla.
Now, the people of Lachipora have decided to take their appeal directly to the top. In a formal letter, endorsed by several villagers and noted political figure Omar Abdullah, they have requested the immediate intervention of the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. The letter highlights the village’s plight and appeals for action on humanitarian grounds. It urges the LG’s administration to ensure the deployment of a full-time gynaecologist and paediatrician in Lachipora and calls for an upgrade of the existing healthcare facility to meet basic standards of care.
More significantly, the residents have asked the Lieutenant Governor to visit the village in person to witness the conditions firsthand and engage directly with those affected. They believe that such a visit could bring about the empathy and urgency that have so far been missing from the official response.
