SAMBALPUR: A dysfunctional lift has been the cause of immense trouble for patients at the Mother and Child Health Care Center of the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) here for the last six months.
With the lift yet to be repaired, patients including pregnant women are being taken to operation theatres in first and second floors of the centre through staircase in stretchers and wheelchairs.
The three-storey centre was built at the cost of `9 crore and inaugurated by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in February,2016. While the outpatient departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics are on the ground floor, the operation theatres, labour room and sick neonatal care unit are on the upper floors.
At least 350 to 400 children are born in the centre every month and on an average, 200 outdoor patients visit the hospital every day. While the centre is already facing staff crunch and dearth of beds, the defunct lift has only added to woes of people and hospital staffs.
The lift was rendered defunct in August last year. Delivery patients are taken to the operation theatre on the first floor on a stretcher while women who have to undergo caesarean section have to be carried to the operation theatre on the second floor through the staircase. There have been instances when women had to be carried in wheelchairs in the absence of adequate number of stretchers.
Healthcare personnel said the centre is always overcrowded. While it has 50 beds, at least 80 patients are admitted to the ward. As a result, the ramp also remains congested. During the visit of 5T Secretary VK Pandian in November last year, the lift was out of order but the DHH authorities managed to keep the issue out of his notice.
Additional District Medical Officer (Medical), Pramod Purohit said the firm which had installed the lift and agreed to maintain it, did not respond to the DHH notice on repairing it.While contract of the firm has been cancelled, a new firm roped in for maintaining the lift which will be repaired soon, he added.
But a source in the hospital informed that the centre has recently got sanction for 50 more beds for which another storey will be added to the building and lift completely removed during the construction work. A new lift will be installed only after the construction is over.
Birth pangs
Lift rendered defunct in August last year
Pregnant women carried to OTs on stretchers and wheelchairs through staircase
Due to more patients, ramp remains congested most of the times
Against 50 beds, the Obstetrics and Gynaecology ward gets at least 80 patients daily