Bandipora, Sept. 18 -- Suhail Rather

At the District Hospital Bandipora, patients wait in serpentine queues outside the ENT section, but treatment comes with a catch, the specialist is available to examine patients only one day a week. On another day, he is deputed to sit with the medical board, while the rest of the week he remains posted elsewhere.

The unusual arrangement has left the Bandipora Block's lone ENT service in name only. Residents say they travel from far-off villages hoping to consult a specialist, only to be told the doctor is unavailable. "Sometimes we wait from morning till afternoon, and then are told to return after a week. People with serious ailments cannot afford this," a local resident said.

Officials admit that...