A heartbreaking story from SMHS Hospital, Jammu and Kashmir, has highlighted the struggles of two abandoned sisters who spent months moving in and out of the hospital without family support. One of the sisters eventually died after battling severe illness, while the younger sister continues to remain hospitalised and alone.
According to a report by Kashmir Life, the sisters were first admitted to the hospital in October 2025. The elder sister, around 52 years old, was suffering from a serious wound and gangrene in her right leg. Her younger sister was reportedly dealing with severe depression and mental health problems.
Hospital staff and volunteers later discovered that the sisters had been living in extremely difficult conditions for years. They had reportedly spent nights on hospital benches and shrine staircases after becoming separated from their family.
Volunteers Became Their Only Support System
The report said the younger sister’s mental health condition made caregiving extremely difficult. In the absence of family members, the sisters survived mainly because of support from doctors, hospital staff, and volunteers.
After nearly two months of surgeries and treatment, doctors managed to stabilise the elder sister’s condition and discharged her from the hospital. However, she soon returned because there was no one at home to take care of her wounds or continue her medical treatment.
By February 2026, both sisters were admitted again after the elder sister developed septic shock. At the same time, the younger sister’s mental health reportedly worsened and she became almost completely silent and withdrawn.
Elder Sister Died After Third Hospital Admission
On April 11, 2026, the sisters were admitted to the hospital for the third time. Doctors said the elder sister again went into septic shock and this time her condition did not improve.
She was later declared brain dead and placed on ventilator support. Weeks later, she died quietly in the same hospital ward where she had spent most of the previous seven months.
“The elder sister died quietly at SMHS, in the same ward where she had fought repeated infections and undergone surgery after surgery,” the report said.
Volunteers reportedly woke the younger sister from medicated sleep to inform her about her sister’s death. She continues to remain in the hospital, struggling with illness, loneliness, and grief.
“Family Never Came to Meet Them”
Police and volunteers reportedly made repeated efforts to trace the sisters’ relatives. Family members were informed about their medical condition, but according to the report, none of them visited the sisters during any of their hospital admissions.
People familiar with the matter said the sisters came from a financially weak family, and a rehabilitation centre had even offered to provide shelter and care. However, the family’s silence reportedly continued.
The report described the case as a painful reminder of the gaps in mental health support and social welfare systems for vulnerable people with no family support.
