Baramulla | July 9:
District President of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mohammad Rafique Rather, has strongly condemned the media gag imposed during the visit of the Minister for Health and Medical Education, Ms. Sakina Itoo, to Government Medical College (GMC) Baramulla.
In a statement issued here, Rather said that GMC Baramulla continues to remain in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons — from glaring administrative mismanagement and inadequate infrastructure to an acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff. The hospital’s deteriorating condition, including unhygienic and dysfunctional washrooms, reflects the appalling state of public healthcare in North Kashmir.
Rather held the Minister for Medical Education directly responsible for the worsening condition of GMC Baramulla, stating that instead of making symbolic visits, she must be held accountable for the gross neglect and ongoing administrative failures under her watch.
He further criticized the government’s decision to bar the press from covering the visit, calling it a blatant attempt to suppress the truth and avoid public accountability. “Ironically, while the government calls the media the ‘Fourth Pillar of Democracy,’ it simultaneously shuts its doors on journalists when they attempt to report ground realities,” Rather said.
“Suppressing media coverage during a growing healthcare crisis not only undermines democratic values but also exposes the government’s discomfort with transparency and public scrutiny,” he added.
Rafique Rather emphasized that the public has an unalienable right to know what is happening within a major public institution serving lakhs across North Kashmir. “What is the government trying to hide, and why? When public trust in governance is already fragile, such opacity only worsens the trust deficit,” he remarked.
He urged the Jammu and Kashmir government to move beyond optics and take serious, corrective steps to revamp GMC Baramulla. “The citizens of North Kashmir deserve transparency, accountability, and, above all, access to dignified and quality healthcare,” he said.
Appealing directly to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Rather called for his personal intervention and the initiation of urgent reforms to alleviate the suffering of the people.
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