Four-member panel to examine possible medical negligence; inquiry report sought within five days
Srinagar 16 October 2026
The Jammu and Kashmir Health Department has ordered a high-level inquiry into the death of a woman at a sub-district hospital in Gurez of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, with a four-member committee tasked with examining whether medical negligence was involved.According to an order issued by the Directorate of Health Services Kashmir (DHSK) accessed Kashmir Convener, the inquiry will investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of Haseena Begum, wife of Showkat Ahmad Lone, a resident of Mazgund Tulail in Gurez, who died at Sub-District Hospital Dawar on October 14.
The committee has been directed to submit its final report within five days. It will examine the circumstances leading to the patient’s death, specifically assess the possibility of medical negligence and recommend the further course of action.The four-member panel is headed by Dr Saba Wani, Deputy Director (Schemes) at the DHSK. The other members are Dr Mukhtar Ahmad Malla, Medical Superintendent of District Hospital Bandipora; Dr Rohana Ali, consultant gynaecologist at Gousia Hospital, Srinagar; and Dr Musadiq Ahmad Khan, Medical Officer (MS Surgery) and nodal officer at the DHSK.The inquiry order comes amid concerns over the death of the woman and her newborn baby in Gurez.
A day earlier, Bandipora Deputy Commissioner Indu Kanwal Chib had said an inquiry had been ordered into the deaths and assured strict action against anyone found responsible for negligence.DC Chib had said a preliminary inquiry had already been conducted and its report, along with a proposal for action against the doctor concerned, had been submitted to the Director of Health Services.She also said financial assistance had been provided to the bereaved family through the Red Cross.
