Moving through clogged road is ‘trauma’ for ambulances!

CONGESTION CURE NEEDED Encroachments and haphazardly parked vehicles eat up half the width of road outside the trauma centre. The result: Traffic jams every day

CONGESTION CURE NEEDED Encroachments and haphazardly parked vehicles eat up half the width of road outside the trauma centre. The result: Traffic jams every day

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The 40-ft-wide road in front of the KGMU’s Trauma Centre becomes half its width, especially during peak hours as roadside eateries and haphazardly parked vehicles on the stretch gobble up space. They also create a jam-like situation, restricting movement of ambulances and other vehicles.

“Usually, an ambulance takes 10 minutes to reach the Trauma Centre road from Hazratganj. But it requires as much time (nearly 10 more minutes) just to pass through the trauma centre gate, after braving the encroachments and haphazardly parked vehicles on the road outside,” said a senior doctor posted at trauma centre.

The 800-metre stretch of the road has Trauma Centre that gets over 250 patients in a day, the Queen Mary’s Hospital that gets over 1,000 patients in the OPD and about 50 in the emergency department. Besides, Lari Cardiology is also situated here. It gets over 800 patients in the OPD and over 50 in the emergency.

Moving ahead on the road, there is the main gate of the KGMU, which gets over 7,000 patients daily on an average in the OPD.

“We have written to the authorities several times about the problem of encroachment. The encroachers were removed once or twice, but they were back again,” said Sandip Tiwari, spokesperson, KGMU.

Despite having a ‘no vending zone’ signboard, traffic congestion is a daily routine here and patients have to bear the brunt.

“An ambulance needs a clear road when it turns to enter through the gates of the trauma centre, Lari Cardiology or the Queen Mary’s hospital. But the passages to none of these gates are ever clear. Hence, we need to keep on honking and wait till some of the vehicles give way,” said an ambulance driver.

When asked, SP (traffic) Purnendu Singh said, “We have received complaints and taken action many times. We will take strict action, penalise all vehicles and also deploy a cop nearby so that vehicles could be stopped from being parked in front of the hospitals.”

Chief proctor RAS Kushwaha said the KGMU got the road cleared of encroachments twice this year, but they came again. “Since we do not have the powers to remove these vehicles/roadside stalls with the help of our own security staff, we depend on the police,” he said.

This stretch of road is not only plagued by traffic congestion, but also poses hazard for pedestrians as there is no footpath. Attendants purchasing medicines and other items (who move in and out of the hospital buildings) have to walk on the road while saving themselves from the vehicles passing by.

STALLS SELL UNHYGIENIC FOOD

The stretch from the geriatric mental health department of KGMU till the psychiatry department has at least 50 roadside eateries. These stalls are the only option for attendants, particularly during night hours, when all restaurants and canteens are closed.

These stalls prepare food by reusing oils, not just once or twice, but many times and sell snacks amid unhygienic conditions – near the drain. No food inspectors have ever checked what they are selling. The stalls also occupy space, so much, that often the road gets clogged. The cooked food is kept in the open and gathers dust before being served to customers. But there is little that is done about it.

PVT AMBULANCES CHOKE ROAD

Ambulances and hearse vehicles owned and run by individuals are also parked along the road outside the Trauma Centre. At least 40 such vehicles, including cars of patients, are parked on either side of the road. As a result, even bikes get stuck in traffic jams on the 800-mt stretch.

The KGMU campus provides parking facility for vehicles in almost each department. But a lot of vehicles belonging to attendants and patients are parked on the road outside.

ORDEAL FOR AMBULANCE DRIVERS

*Usually, an ambulance takes 10 minutes to reach the Trauma Centre road from Hazratganj. But it requires nearly 10 more minutes just to pass through the trauma centre gate, after braving the encroachments and haphazardly parked vehicles on the road outside, said a senior doctor.

*Attendants purchasing medicines (who move in and out of the hospital buildings) have to walk on the road while saving themselves from the vehicles passing by.

*The KGMU campus provides parking facility for vehicles in almost each department. But a lot of vehicles belonging to attendants and patients are parked on the road outside