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Kashmir unrest: In Srinagar hospital, patients are identified by numbers not names

Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital doctors say the move is aimed at protecting patients from police crackdown

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Hundreds of patients were brought to Shri Maharaja Hari Singh Hospital after violence erupted following the killing of Hizbul militant Burhan Wani
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In ward numbers seven, eight and 16 of Srinagar's Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) Hospital, doctors, who have by now treated more than 400 injured men, women and children, walk pass patients addressing them simply as 101, 124, 135 and so on.

The SMHS Hospital administration seems to have invented a new way to prevent the injured patients from what they call a 'police crackdown'.

Fearing police profiling of the injured persons brought in for treatment during violent protests that followed the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani, doctors have stopped using real names of the patients and instead have allotted numbers to them.

On Thursday, chaotic scenes continued to mar the functioning of the hospital as ambulances dispatched from North Kashmir's Sopore brought in three more patients. The injured men, all in their 20s from here would be known as patient number 171, 172 and 173.

A doctor, who was speaking to dna on condition of anonymity, interrupted the conversation midway and rushed to treat the grievous injuries received by the three new patients on their head and eyes.

"Out of the 400 patients that were brought in here, our team in ophthalmology department has operated upon more than 140 people. All of the patients, some of whom as young as 10-year-olds, were brought in with severe eye injuries. The first 80 patients who were brought in were registered under their own names but when we saw police officials in civilian clothes interrupting medical procedures, just to get the names of the injured so that they could profile them, we decided to use numbers instead of their names," said the doctor moments before rushing towards the emergency ward.

As a procedure, details of patients who are brought in the emergency department have to be filled by their kin. The details obviously include their names, addresses and so on. However, except their blood group, details provided by the patients in hospital registration form are quite far from the truth.

While people accompanying the patient know the possible repercussions of providing their correct details, doctors too seem to be comfortable with the incorrect information being provided in the registration forms.

Police on their part have denied the charges levelled at them by valley's prime hospital. But this is not how doctors, who have requested not to be named fearing 'persecution', remember the events.

"Last Sunday one patient was brought in from Pulwama, and when we were trying to give CPR to the dying patient, a police official in civilian clothes was updating his bosses through a mobile. This was right inside the operation theatre," the doctor alleged.

A number of other doctors who spoke to dna said that a meeting was called soon after the police interference in which it was decided that the patients would not be named from now onwards.

Officials here told dna that among the patients that are being brought to SMHS include both who attended mass funerals of HM militant commander Burhan Wani as well those who participated in protests, both peaceful and violent, against security forces.

"As doctors, we are concerned about the well-being of our patients regardless of their political affiliations. We should be provided a stable environment to treat patients so that they don't run away fearing police action," a doctor who is posted in the SMHS's ophthalmology department told dna.

The doctor added that there have been a number of cases where patients simply walked out of the hospital fearing the police.

According to officials of SMHS Hospital, the number system seems to be working for now. This, they attribute to the fact that the patients who received primary treatment last week and released subsequently, have been turning up for follow-ups. However, the number of of people turning up is not high. According to the administration, only 14 turned up on Wednesday and another 10 came to the hospital on Thursday.

"Last Sunday alone, I personally attended 56 patients. When a pellet enters the eye, all we do is seal the injury. This is the primary treatment which is followed by secondary procedures which may include multiple surgeries.

The 140 patients whose eyes have been operated upon need to come back. From 2010 to 2016, I have personally treated 500-700 patients who received pellet injuries and in my experience the patients hesitate to come to the hospital but this time around the police presence in SMHS is unprecedented. How are we supposed to treat them in such scenario," the doctor added.

dna spoke to a number of patients who were initially hesitant in giving out their names except one 21-year-old who identified himself as Sajad. "Yes they (doctors) have given me a number but you may call me as Sajad. I was shot in my leg and arm in Bijbehara," Sajad said. When asked what he was doing at the time when he was shot, Sajad responded,"I had gone to attend the funeral for Commander Burhan."

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