People’s Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Parra has raised serious concern over the growing cancer crisis in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the disease has claimed far more lives than decades of armed conflict in the region.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Parra said nearly 67,000 people have died from cancer in the last five years, a figure he compared with a similar number of deaths caused by conflict over the past three decades. Calling it a silent emergency, he said cancer is now killing people at a much faster rate than violence ever did.
“Cancer is killing 300 times more people than conflict in Jammu and Kashmir,” Parra wrote, describing the situation as both a public health crisis and a failure of governance. Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel
Poor Families Forced to Sell Land for Treatment
Parra, who represents Pulwama in the Assembly, said the crisis is hitting poor families the hardest. Due to limited cancer care facilities and overburdened hospitals within the region, many patients are forced to seek treatment outside Jammu and Kashmir.
As a result, families are selling land, homes, and other assets to afford medical care. Parra said this financial distress is pushing already vulnerable households deeper into poverty.
“The biggest battles are often the ones we don’t see,” he said, highlighting how cancer quietly devastates families without drawing the same attention as conflict.
Call for Urgent Government Action
Tagging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in his post, Parra urged the government to take immediate steps to strengthen cancer care infrastructure across Jammu and Kashmir.
He stressed the need for:
- Better-equipped oncology hospitals
- Affordable treatment within the region
- Reduced dependence on outside medical centres
According to Parra, timely investment in healthcare could prevent thousands of avoidable deaths and protect families from financial ruin.
A Crisis Beyond Headlines
Parra’s remarks have reignited debate on healthcare priorities in Jammu and Kashmir, with many seeing cancer as a silent killer that demands urgent attention equal to — or greater than — traditional security concerns.
The statement underlines a harsh reality: while conflict dominates headlines, diseases like cancer continue to take lives quietly, often without adequate support or response.
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