Shortage of wheelchairs at hospital irks patients

Manmeet Singh Gill

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 26

In the absence of adequate number of wheelchairs and stretchers, patients, especially those who can’t walk, are having a harrowing time at Government Medical College. Kin of such patients can be seen carrying them to the emergency block of the hospital.

An autorickshaw driver, injured in a mishap, was brought to the hospital for treatment today. The people accompanying him, failing to find any wheelchair or stretcher, picked him up to take him to the emergency wing of the hospital. The injured said he had a fractured ankle so couldn’t walk.

Following this, a biker with an old lady riding pillion drove his vehicle into the waiting hall as the woman couldn’t walk and there was no availability of stretcher or wheelchair.

Patients said the hospital authorities should have adequate wheelchairs and stretchers at the entrance. Besides, such equipment is also required to reach the OPD wards in the multi-storey building. 

A patient, Sukhwinder Kaur, said, “Seriously ill people are unable to reach the OPD wards on the upper floors of the building. Wheelchairs must be provided.”

Another patient said at least one or two employees of the hospital should be deployed at the entrance of the emergency block to guide the kin of critical patients as people mostly don’t know where to take the patient.

Resident doctors, during one of their protests in the past, had raised this issue. The association had also submitted a demand charter in this regard. 

The hospital authorities say ideally the kin of the patient, who use wheelchair, should place it back to the entrance point. “Wheelchairs and stretchers are specially kept at the emergency block. More wheelchairs will be procured to deal with the problem,” said Medical Superintendent Dr Ram Sarup Sharma.