Ludhiana: No wheelchairs, patients at ESIC forced to push themselves on stretchers

The Employee State Insurance Corporation Hospital is lacking the basic facility of providing wheelchairs to its patients, who are unable to walk, coming for treatment.

At an age of playing carefree with his friends, 10-year-old Priyanshu helps his mother ferry his ailing father on a stretcher to the Employee State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital here. All because of the hospital lacking the basic facility of providing wheelchairs to its patients, who are unable to walk, coming for treatment.

Several patients said that the staff of the hospital gets impatient and deals with them in a very rude manner, when approached. (HT File Photo)

Family members of the patients at ESIC hospital near near Bharat Nagar Chowk, including kids, have been spotted pushing and pulling the stretchers of their ailing relatives. Several patients, who have one or no caregiver accompanying them, are seen seeking help from strangers to drive their stretcher.

“It is hard for us to carry and transfer my father on a stretcher. We requested a nurse for a wheelchair but she blatantly refused without any reason,” Priyanshu said while pushing his father’s stretcher in the hospital’s elevator.

His mother Radhika, who is a factory worker at Vardhman mills, said, “It has been around four weeks since my husband, an e-rickshaw driver, met with an accident and got his leg fractured. With support of my employer, I was able to get him admitted here for the treatment. However, the slow-paced treatment that he is getting has not only added to his pain but also pushed us into debt. In two days, it will be a month since his admission to the hospital and he has not undergone the much-needed surgery yet.”

Patients comprising daily wagers, labourers, factory workers and machine operators, pay 1.75% of their salary along with their respective employer’s share of 2.45% to the ESIC account every month.

Stretchers and wheelchairs accessed after multiple requests are in a dilapidated condition, which poses a direct threat to the patient being carried on it.

One of the four wheels of a stretcher broke midway while an elderly woman, who had to carry her husband from OPD back to the ward, was pushing it upward on a ramp. In a relief, the patient was not on the stretcher at that point of time.

“This is how it works here, poor facilities for economically poor patients like us,” she said requesting anonymity.

“Riding stretcher and wheelchair with rusty/ jammed wheels makes the ride bumpy that induces pain in fractured area,” said another patient.

Rajiv Ranjan, caretaker at ESIC Hospital, who looks after staff deployment said, “There are nine wards, eight labour wards and as many emergency ward. Each of the wards has only one ward attendant. It is not possible for them to carry stretchers of the entire admitted patient. Therefore, caregivers, who accompany the admitted patients, have to pitch in.”

Commenting on the broken stretcher, a senior nurse, on the condition of anonymity said, “Things tend to wear down with time, at homes too things break down over time. Same happens with hospital equipments as well. Though we check before handing over any hospital property to the patient, in haste caregivers do take redundant stretchers and wheelchairs.”

Besides poor infrastructure, lack of signage and proper marking of room numbers also adds to confusion inside the hospital premises. Patients visiting ESIC hospital have to approach ground staff time and again for directions.

Several patients said that the staff of the hospital gets impatient and deals with them in a very rude manner, when approached.

“There is no sign in sight. Room numbers are written on half-torn pages or with markers on door in tinniest font possible that makes one unable to find the way. Not being highly educated already makes it difficult for us to find the doctor concerned and documents that are needed for treatment. In addition to that, the various staff members treat us as if we are beggars, visiting here for free facilities,” said 60-year-old Seema, who came to the hospital with her husband for documentation purposes.

“We ourselves and our employers are indirectly paying for it. No matter how small amount gets deducted every month, nobody deserves that kind of disrespect,” she said.

Despite repeated attempts, civil surgeon Dr Hitinder Kaur was not available for comment.