HYDERABAD: Senior doctors of Gandhi hospital staged a protest on Friday against the inaction of the hospital management to repair lifts that have not been working for more than a month.
Four lifts, the only ones which are functional, broke down on Friday triggering the doctors to stage protest.
The doctors stayed put in the Superintendent’s chamber demanding the lifts to be repaired or install new ones. They said operation theatres are located in fifth, second and other floors of the hospital, and it becomes a daunting task for patients, and doctors to reach the floors.
Gandhi unit of Telangana Government Doctors Association (TGDA) said that they have been giving representations to authorities concerned requesting that the issue of lifts be looked into. They demanded Suresh Chanda, principal secretary of Health and Family Welfare department, to come to the hospital, and state in writing the time it would take to fix the defunct lifts.
The association members said patients are being carried on shoulders by their attendants to different floors. And even doctors with health ailments find it tough to get up and down the floors.
Dr N Radhika, a member of the association, said that cardiac operation theatre is located on the fifth floor of the hospital’s Inpatient (IP) Block. “We want the principal secretary to come to the hospital, and inform why lifts are not working, and steps taken to solve the issue,” said Dr P Shravan, president, of TGDA.
Admitting that there was a problem with lifts as they are old, P Dhairyawan, superintendent of the hospital, said tenders floated to replace all the lifts were in final stage, and it would take six months for new lifts to become operational.
“Annual maintenance contract (AMC) for lifts expires this month. We are inviting other companies to take up the work. Principal secretary called for a meeting with a vendor on Monday regarding repair of lifts, not covered under AMC.
Till the new lifts are fixed, old ones will be maintained,” Dhairyawan said. On the whole, there are 16 lifts in the hospital, 10 in IP block, and 6 in the out patient block.