Strikes Can’t Cure

At the heart of Srinagar’s hospital crisis lies a moral dilemma: can a caregiver protest without betraying the patient?

- Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili

unsafe systems is a form of care, because staying silent enables rot.

But there’s a line.

Every strike risks a life. In Kashmir, where public hospitals are overloaded and private care out of reach, even a few hours of shutdown can mean tragedy.

Patients often arrive at tertiary hospitals as their last hope. A closed emergency room doesn’t just delay treatment. It closes the door on survival.

Strikes aren't equal in their impact. The rich will find alternatives. The poor won't.

Those who live in far-off villages or refugee camps don’t have backup plans. That’s where the ethical weight falls hardest.

Critics argue that protest should not come at the cost of care. The Hippocratic Oath isn’t about conditions. It’s about commitment.

And when doctors walk out, even briefly, that sacred trust frays. If the public begins to see doctors as negotiators first and caregivers second, trust crumbles.