Cancer, Not Clashes, the Number One Killer in Kashmir

A hospital in Srinagar, Kashmir. Credit: Umer Asif/IPSBy Umar ShahSRINAGAR, India, Dec 18 2015 (IPS)In an isolated ward of one of Kashmir’s largest government-run hospitals, 54-year-old Ashraf Ali Khan is finding it hard to sleep properly. His 15-year-old son, Asif, is sitting on a bench near the bed staring at his ailing father. Asif has not been told by his family that his father is suffering from a potentially terminal disease cancer. He knows his father is suffering from a consistent fever which sent him to the hospital, but doesn’t know his father is in the last stage of the crippling disease.Ashraf Ali, a carpenter, went to the doctor eight months ago after persistent coughing. He had a chest X-ray which then led to further examinations. After series of tests, it was finally he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He has two months to live at best.Ashraf is among thousands of people who have ben struck down with the disease. In a war-torn Kashmir, about 4000 cases are found every year in this Himalayan region.Apart from the political uncertainty, which so far has claimed thousands of lives, experts says there is a 20 per cent rise in cancer cases in Kashmir with figures never decreasing. The latest data published by the state’s health department has Kashmir topping the list of cancer cases in India.The data reveals in the past three years, more than 1,700 people have died due to cancer in Kashmir. It says that since January 2014 there were 12,091 patients who were dete...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Armed Conflicts Asia-Pacific Editors' Choice Environment Featured Headlines Health Poverty & SDGs TerraViva United Nations Cancer dietary disease Kashmir Mortality Source Type: news