Srinagar, June 12 -- By Faizaan Bashir

A few nights ago, I found myself confronting a fear that many people know instinctively but rarely describe.

My body stopped functioning the way it should. Acute urinary retention gripped me with such force that every passing minute felt dangerous.

Pressure built inside my abdomen, pain spread through my body, and thoughts raced through my mind: was it a stone? An infection? Severe inflammation? Something worse?

That night, I learned something troubling about public healthcare in Kashmir.

The problem was larger than my illness. It was larger than one hospital, and involved two institutions, two different shortcomings, and one common consequence: patients suffering far more than they should.

My ...