Kashmir's EMS Challenge

For heart attacks, strokes, and road accidents in Kashmir, the difference between life and death often lies in the care given on the way to the hospital.

- Dr. Nowsheen Jan

Every Kashmiri family has a story of rushing a loved one to the hospital. Sometimes it is a stroke in the middle of the night. Sometimes it is a road accident, or a child struggling to breathe. In those moments, what matters most is not how fast the car engine roars, but what kind of care begins before the hospital doors open.

For too long, an “ambulance” in Kashmir has meant a van with a driver and a stretcher. The global standard, however, has changed.

Emergency Medical Services, or EMS, are now fully equipped mobile hospitals. They carry advanced monitors, defibrillators, oxygen delivery systems, and a stock of lifesaving medicines. More importantly, they are staffed with trained paramedics who can administer emergency treatment under the supervision of physicians. They are designed to buy patients the most precious commodity in a crisis: time.

Kashmir already has critical care ambulances. Yet very few people have the numbers stored in their phones. In moments of panic, families rely on neighbours or relatives, pushing patients into private vehicles. Sometimes patients drive themselves. These choices come with risks.

Survival in emergencies often depends on what happens in the first ten minutes, not on how quickly you reach a hospital building.

Imagine a cardiac arrest at home in Srinagar. Each minute without CPR or advanced life support reduces survival chances by about 10 percent. A trained EMS team can begin resuscitation instantly and keep the heart stable until arrival at a tertiary hospital.