KOCHI: A video of the body of a 48-year-old man, who died of burns, being carried downstairs from the third floor of Ernakulam Government Medical College in Kalamassery, went viral on social media on Friday, putting the spotlight on the government hospital’s poor infrastructure facilities.
The video of the incident at Kalamassery hospital, which took place on Wednesday as its lifts were out of service, has become a major embarrassment for the authorities. Sukumaran, a resident of Sreemoolanagaram near Kalady, was admitted to the hospital on Monday with 80 per cent burns, and he had to be carried on the shoulders of his relatives and two hospital staff to the ICU on the third floor as the lifts were not functioning. Sukumaran passed away on Wednesday.“We didn’t have any other option except carrying the body on our shoulders.
The lifts were not functioning for several days. Though we complained to the hospital authorities, they were not ready to repair it. Though I have heard of such incidents in north Indian states, I never thought it would happen in Kerala,” said Linto P Anto, a Youth Congress worker who, along with three other members, carried the body on his shoulder.
“Only after we came to the hospital, did we know that the lifts were not functioning. We carried the stretcher on our shoulders to shift the person to the ICU located on the third floor. Is this the way the hospital has to treat patients and bystanders? ” added Linto, alleging that the postmortem examination also got delayed owing to a shortage of surgeons.
Dr Ganesh Kumar, superintendent of the hospital, said the lifts remained non-functional due to the delay in getting permission from the electrical inspectorate to operate them. The process of replacing the 20-year-old lifts is in its final stage. Inspection by the electrical inspectorate is in its final stage. The lifts will be operational soon,” the superintendent said.