Srinagar, July 25: BJP Jammu and Kashmir spokesperson Altaf Thakur has launched a scathing attack on Health Minister Sakeena Itoo, accusing her of presiding over a complete collapse of the Union Territory’s public healthcare system.
Thakur alleged that government hospitals, particularly SMHS Srinagar, are buckling under systemic failure, worsened by favouritism in staffing.
“Hospitals across Kashmir are collapsing under the weight of negligence and mismanagement. Blue-eyed junior doctors close to the ruling dispensation are being pushed to the brink, while senior doctors are nowhere to be seen. If this isn’t institutional failure, what is?” Thakur said in a strongly worded statement.
He said that under Sakeena Itoo’s leadership, the health sector has deteriorated rapidly, marked by absenteeism, overcrowded emergency wards, and unbearable delays in basic care. Thakur questioned the minister’s priorities, claiming she was more interested in optics than outcomes.
“This is not governance—it’s abandonment. If she cannot fix the rot in her department, she should resign and let someone competent take charge.”
Thakur demanded a high-level audit of staff attendance, resource distribution, and operational efficiency in government hospitals. He claimed the Health Department has become a safe haven for inefficiency and complacency.
Turning his criticism towards the National Conference (NC), Thakur blamed the party’s style of functioning for J&K’s long-standing institutional decay.
“It is this type of immoral and coterie-based selfish politics of the NC that has ruined Jammu and Kashmir in the past. Omar Abdullah talks about statehood—perhaps he needs it back to protect this same ecosystem of nepotism and failure.”
He pointed to widespread reports from hospitals like SMHS, where patients are enduring long queues, overworked junior staff, and missing consultants, calling it a reflection of deepening institutional rot.
As public dissatisfaction grows, Thakur said, the government must act swiftly to restore faith in the healthcare system and hold accountable those responsible for its current state.
