Image Source: TRIBUNE

Amidst looming threat of Covid, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are not only facing critical shortage of sterilised items but also lack well-equipped quarantine facilities and bio-safety labs to test samples within the region.

Doctors and paramedical staff have already raised red-flag over the shortage of masks, gloves and hazmat suits and alleged that the J&K administration was pushing them to deal with the epidemic without required facilities.

The situation is more critical in district hospitals in J&K where critical life support system, ventilators are lacking. In Ladakh, the state of affairs is no different as crumbling health infrastructure and shortage of doctors and trained paramedics is likely to make fight against coronavirus a major challenge. In J&K and Ladakh, four patients have so far been found with symptoms related to coronavirus with detection of “high viral load”.