In hospital near Indo-Pak border, longer duty hours and tense atmosphere prevail
The two-room government dispensary in Amritsar’s Naushera Dhalla village is just 200 metres from the India-Pakistan border. Since September 28 when the Uri attack happened, the work shift for an employee has gone up from 6 to 10 hours.
However, the only doctor in the dispensary was moved to camps for evacuated villagers in another place called Gogo bua. This has left the Pharmacist Sarabjit Kaur as the only one on emergency duty,even to treat those with wounds from bullets and shelling if needed.
The Indo-Pak border has been on high alert since 18 soldiers were killed in Uri by militants.
Routine at times of fear
Kaur, who is 40 years old travels 17 km from her home in Attari- a frontier village to the dispensary. “On Wednesday afternoon, we received an order from the district administration … our duty hours were extended from six to 10, so I come in at 8am and leave by 6pm. The weekly off has been cancelled and we were told to be prepared for night duty at camps where evacuated villagers have been put up,” she said to a media publication.
However the number of patients has come down to less than half due to the mass evacuations. Until last week, the dispensary received some 30 patients a day. Now it’s only 10. Kaur said that she hasn’t received any bullet or shelling cases so far but if required she would rush them to a hospital in an ambulance.
Most of the women, children and youngsters have left the village. The elders stayed behind to guard the house and crop. The only helper Kaur has in the dispensary is a 60 year old woman.
But facing such a tense situation isn’t new to Kaur. She faced a similar situation during the Kargil war. She said that during that time her family refused to vacate the house though the military was all around.
Kaur, whose husband passed away a decade ago lives with her two sons and daughters. She said she has the fuel tank of her car filled to capacity. If war breaks out she can load whatever she could in the car and drive her children to safety.
Image credits: hindustantimes.com