Srinagar, July 18 -- The patient attendants who line the corridors of Kashmir's public hospitals know the routine.

One waits for word from the ICU. Another recites verses under their breath. A third paces with his eyes on the floor. Behind them is always a need that no one wants to talk about: the search for a usable toilet.

In hospitals across Kashmir, what stands behind the bathroom door is worse than anyone deserves.

Walk into any washroom at SMHS, Lal Ded, or a district hospital, and the picture is predictably grim. Water stagnates on the floor. Foul smells rise from open drains. Taps are either dry or leaking. The commodes, often cracked or blocked, are unusable. Soap dispensers lie empty. Doors don't lock. The stench carries into...