Despite being in the grip of violence, Kashmiris have shown selflessness that seems to be from another century. One such Kashmiri is nurse Firdousa Rashid from Tangmarg in north Kashmir.
Tangmarg is 40 kilometres from Srinagar’s SMHS Hospital. On Sunday, Firdousa started from her house on foot at 7:45am.
“I left home at 7.45am and reached the hospital at 2.15pm. I had to report for duty,” she told
Firdousa works in the hospital’s ICU, and realises the importance of her job.
“I knew there was less staff in the hospital. Duty was important as my job involves saving lives in Surgical ICU of the SMHS hospital. What is the use of ICU if there is no nurse there?”
Firdousa’s only concern was that she hadn’t left home early enough. Her motivation was relieving the nurses who had been working at the hospital for two days straight.
“They could not have carried on more. We had to give them respite.”
Firdousa’s fierce dedication to her job in the face of so much adversity is admirable, and we hope it’s seen as a beacon of hope in a state that’s been facing extreme violence and curfews, severely hampering normal life.
