Lifts at Aundh district hospital defunct since past few months, patients & kin facing hardships

Given that the ADH caters to hundreds of patients on a daily basis and that it has failed to repair or maintain the lifts which are in a pathetic condition, patients and their relatives are at the receiving end and are facing tremendous hardships for the past few months

While the state government claims to have overhauled the public health department to strengthen government hospitals and provide better facilities to citizens, the situation on ground is way different.

As recently as Wednesday around 5.30 pm, the lone functional lift broke down yet again, leading to a delay in the distribution of dinner to inhouse patients. (HT FILE PHOTO)

For instance, only one out of the four lifts at Aundh District Hospital (ADH) has been operational for the past few months, and that too breaks down regularly. Given that the ADH caters to hundreds of patients on a daily basis and that it has failed to repair or maintain the lifts which are in a pathetic condition, patients and their relatives are at the receiving end and are facing tremendous hardships for the past few months.

As recently as Wednesday around 5.30 pm, the lone functional lift broke down yet again, leading to a delay in the distribution of dinner to inhouse patients. Dinner was served to them by 8.30 pm instead of the usual 6 pm. Further, the hospital staff could not carry the bulk of food to the upper floors due to the defunct lift.

According to some patients, the lone lift fails to function properly many a time, and the remaining lifts are mostly closed. Though most of the outpatient (OPD) wards are located on the ground floor, the gynaecology, labour, female surgical, special newborn care unit (SNCU), male, orthopaedic, male surgical and other wards are located on the second and third floors. Hence, patients in need of immediate treatment have to use the stairs to reach these floors.

Sanjay Kushwaha, a relative of a patient, said, “The female ward is frequently visited by expecting mothers and women in labour. However, due to the non-functioning lifts, it is difficult for them to journey from the entrance of the ward to the delivery room or operation theatre. Moving patients on stretchers to different wards takes a lot of time in the three-storeyed building.”

Sharad Shetty, a health activist, said that elderly patients and expecting mothers are the most affected as they rely on lifts to reach the concerned departments. “Patients with joint pain and orthopaedic problems face a real problem while going upstairs and downstairs. Looking at the poor maintenance of lifts, there is every possibility that the lone lift might stop midway. There are no lift operators deployed for help.”

Nagnath Yempalay, district civil surgeon, ADH, said that they are taking all efforts to ensure that the problem arising from defunct lifts does not obstruct the services provided by the hospital. However, the delay is from the public works department (PWD) which is responsible for repairs and maintenance of the lifts, he said.

“In the past few months, we have written to the PWD electrical department several times to carry out repairs of the lifts but to no avail. There are movable stretchers on which patients are taken from one floor to another as the lifts are non-functional. Even the hospital attendants and staff face inconvenience due to the defunct lifts. We will speak to the PWD officials again and request them to carry out repairs at the earliest,” Dr Yempalay said