Srinagar, Sept. 11 -- My visit to SMHS Hospital in Srinagar began with an irritated eye and ended with a question about what we have come to accept inside public hospitals.

I had spent the day bearing the pain before deciding that I needed medical attention. I took a ticket for the ophthalmology ward and was directed to Ward 8.

The ward was crowded, and directions changed from one room to another. There was little coordination, and a patient arriving in pain had to work out the system while already struggling with the reason for being there.

Eventually, I reached a room where a young female doctor was attending to patients. One patient was writhing in pain while an attendant waited beside her. The doctor told them to bear it for a whil...