THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The chemotherapy sessions held at Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) late in the evening have become a nightmare for patients due to absence of a functional lift during night. As a result, all patients who have undergone tiring chemotherapy have to walk down the stairs from the sixth floor. They include patients who have undergone hip surgery and are struggling to walk, said social activist Salim Jacob.
At least 7,800 patients in a month avail chemotherapy sessions held at three wards located on the fifth and sixth floors in the E-block of RCC. One of the wards operates round-the-clock and others up to 8pm. The sessions are scheduled at different times to accommodate the demand.
As per hospital records, around 400 patients arrive at the wards for chemotherapy after 7.30pm. These patients are at a disadvantage even though there are five lifts in the block. The staff shut down the lift and the patient has no other option but to walk down the stairs, said Salim. “The RCC has taken action against a staff member after a bystander died in a lift-accident last year. After the incident, the staff decided not to operate lifts or leave it for patients to self-operate in night,” he added. Salim approached both the RCC director Rekha A Nair and Health Minister Veena George to intervene in the issue. However, the issue remained unresolved.
Absence of a functional lift could be one of the problems plaguing the premier cancer treatment centre in the state but the perils faced by patients have caught the attention of the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the High Court.
The RCC authorities responded to the SHRC. They said that four lifts operate till 10pm and the other one operate till 7am the next day. “The arrangement was done as there are fewer patients after 8pm. We have directed the staff to ensure the functioning of the lift and provide information on lifts to the patients,” said a written response to the SHRC. The spokesperson of the RCC did not respond to the calls made by TNIE.
POOR SERVICE CONDITION: RCC DOCTORS PROTEST
T’Puram: The doctors of Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram held a token strike against the management over shortcomings that affected the functioning of the institution. They held placards bearing ‘Save RCC’ outside the building for an hour. It came as the first open protest over the resentment that has been smouldering for some time, said one of the protesters. He said the staffers were disheartened by the delay in reforming service conditions that affected promotion and salaries. They complained of poor facilities to cater to the growing demands of the patients. The anomalies in pay structure and arbitrary promotions have forced many doctors to leave the organisation.