Patients, staff miffed over non-functional lifts at MGMGH super-speciality block

Non-functioning lifts at Tiruchi hospital cause concern for public and staff, with repairs underway for improved functionality.

Non-functioning lifts at Tiruchi’s Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital’s super-speciality block have been a cause for concern for both the public and staff in recent weeks.

The building, which has four elevators, receives a large number of visitors on any given day. Two of them are not functional, leaving the other two overcrowded. Besides a staircase, the six-storey hospital block also has a ramp walk running from the top to ground floor. There are over 500 beds and 10 speciality departments in the building.

A recently repaired lift is awaiting clearance to resume operations. However, lift 3, meant for the exclusive use of doctors, has been under repair for over four months, forcing staff to walk between floors to attend to patients. On a recent day, the lift could be seen stalled outside the Emergency Department, filled with debris, and a shutter gate blocking its entrance.

In October, Tiruchi MP Durai Vaiko visited MGMGH to assess the infrastructure and listen to patients’ grievances. He had said that the demands would be taken up with Health Minister Ma. Subramanian and senior officials of the Health Department, and that he would allocate funds under the MP’s Local Area Development Fund for the repair of lift 3.

“Lifts are essential in any modern multi-storey building, and more so in a hospital, so that work can go on uninterrupted. Hospitals require large lifts that can fit in stretchers and other movable medical equipment besides human users, so it is necessary that they are kept in working condition always,” said activist K.C. Neelamegam.

A senior official at MGMGH told The Hindu that lift 3 would be repaired shortly.