Haphazard parking of vehicles in SMHS Hospital premises poses risk to patients

Srinagar, Jan 13: A car in the parking area of SMHS Hospital caught fire in the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday, drawing attention once again to the chronic parking congestion at the major healthcare facility.

The inadequate parking and its proximity to the emergency area has been a constant source of inconvenience and risks to emergency services. According to witnesses, the vehicle was parked close to the emergency block when the incident occurred. The fire was brought under control before it could spread further. No injuries were reported. Officials at SMHS Hospital said the fire was caused by a Kangri being inside the car.

However, the incident has reignited concerns over indiscriminate parking at the hospital. Vehicles are parked directly in front of the emergency department. All the parking spaces in the hospital are on the access ways to various hospital facilities, significantly narrowing the passage meant for ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

Many people and hospital staff have said that ambulances often struggle to enter or exit the emergency area due to parked vehicles. This leads to delays in patient movement. “If an ambulance is stuck even for a few minutes, it can make the difference between life and death,” said a medical staff member, wishing anonymity. The car fire shows the potential danger of such congestion flanking the hospital. With vehicles packed tightly near the emergency entrance, a fire incident could quickly turn catastrophic and put patients, attendants, and staff at risk.

SMHS Hospital is one of the busiest tertiary care hospitals in Kashmir. A heavy daily influx of patients and attendants is recorded throughout the year, yet parking remains a persistent problem. Officials at the hospital said a parking lot is under construction, but were unsure of its completion timelines.