Srinagar, Aug. 29 -- People realized that food and water, the very basics of survival, could no longer be trusted. That awakening now extends to healthcare, where the medicine market, vast and largely unchecked, poses dangers of its own.

Over the past decade, Kashmir's healthcare sector has expanded dramatically. Private hospitals and clinics have multiplied, giving people easier access to doctors and treatment. But this rapid growth has also bred over-reliance on pills.

For many families, medicines have become the first and last response to any health concern. From antibiotics and painkillers to proton pump inhibitors and vitamins, household drawers are crammed with medicines often taken without a prescription and stored carelessly in ...