How self-medication is poisoning Kashmir’s people in slow motion From city chemist shops to village kiryana counters, antibiotics, painkillers, and steroids are being dispensed like candies; no prescription, no record, no questions asked. The result is a public health crisis unfolding in slow motion, with officialdom largely looking away. A recent indicative survey by local health activists in a few districts suggested that nearly 6 out of 10 households had purchased antibiotics in the last year without consulting a doctor.