Chennai: Patients at the six-storey super-speciality block of Government Stanley Medical College Hospital are forced to endure long waits due to sluggish and unreliable lifts. Poor maintenance of the elevators has especially hit the elderly patients.The lift doors take several seconds to open or close. Attenders say that at times, they don’t open at all. “The lift has stopped midway on several occasions. They are slow, but nothing grave has happened so far,” a lift operator said.The block is served by two lifts — one serving the first, third and fifth floors, and the other the second, fourth and sixth floors.
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Hospital authorities said this is to reduce overcrowding and extend the lifespan of the elevators by reducing usage.The building houses several departments such as orthopaedics, rheumatology, and gastroenterology. Hundreds of elderly patients and attenders, and patients in wheelchairs, depend on the lifts. Hospital staff also use the elevators to move medical equipment between floors.“Lifts cannot be seen as a minor issue by the hospital management. They are a basic requirement in medical infrastructure. In Chennai, most govt hospitals function in multi-storey buildings. Well-maintained lifts with fans are a basic need,” said Abigail S, a frequent visitor to the hospital.“A high number of elderly people depend on public hospitals. Can you tell them to climb six floors? Patients should not be forced to strain because of poor maintenance,” she said.Resident medical officer B Vanithamalar said the issue would be taken up with the public works department (electrical). “The lifts are used extensively throughout the day, and we have recently ensured that all the required licences are up to date,” she said.In 2022, when the then health minister, Ma Subramanian, was stuck in an elevator at the hospital’s surgical block, two PWD engineers were suspended for negligence.
