Defunct bed lift at SMHS Hospital takes toll on patients

Srinagar, Nov 10: Patients at SMHS Hospital are facing inconvenience due to a faulty bed lift near the Emergency ward that has been out of operation for many days.

The bed lift was installed to expedite the transfer of patients from the Emergency Ward to the recovery or other wards for further treatment. The bed lift, originally designed to provide efficient inter-floor transportation, has now become a critical point of concern.

Patients, including those in critical conditions, are being forced to reach the emergency ward by stairs.

“This situation not only disrupts the timely delivery of medical care but also poses potential risks during emergency situations,” they said.

One of the attendants told Greater Kashmir that the single lift used to transport patients between wards often remains closed for hours, causing inconvenience.

“We had to move a patient from the Emergency Ward to the recovery ward, but we found that the lift was inaccessible. We were forced to carry the patients on stretcher by stairs ,” they said.

Another attendant shared an incident involving their mother, who had been in the Emergency Department for the past couple of days.

“Upon doctors' advice to transfer the patient to the recovery ward during late hours, we encountered the closed lift. This led to a strenuous effort to manually transport the patient,” said another attendant.

Medical Superintendent at SMHS hospital, Dr Muzaffar Zargar told Greater Kashmir that he will look into it.

“The bed lift was working earlier, but i will find out what went wrong and take necessary steps to fix it,” he said.