Chandigarh: Patients, staff struggle as non-functional lifts plague GMSH-16
Basic facilities in the hospital’s washrooms are equally neglected; both male and female washrooms in the OPD block lack consistent water supply, taps and flush handles are broken, and soap dispensers sit empty
Patients and staff at Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, are bearing the brunt of non-functional lifts, despite repeated pleas to the UT engineering department for repairs.
Multiple lifts in the multi-storey building, which houses several wards, and in the out-patient department (OPD) block have been out of service for days, forcing many patients and their families to either climb multiple flights of stairs or cram into overcrowded lifts.
In the multi-storey building opposite the emergency ward, one of the three lifts, intended for patient use, has been non-functional for nearly a month, according to hospital staff. In the OPD block, only one of the two lifts works, while the other has been out of order for over 15 days due to basement water leakage.
A relative of a patient, Madhu Sumeeta, shared her frustration after waiting for the lift in vain. “After pressing the button multiple times, someone pointed out a notice saying it’s out of service. I don’t read English, and I was here to see my nephew,” she said.
Many patients and elderly visitors were forced to use the stairs, while those who managed to find a working lift faced overcrowding. Even doctors struggle to reach different floors using these lifts.
Director of health services Dr Suman Singh confirmed that multiple lifts have been inoperative for around 15 days and that the hospital has formally requested action from the UT engineering department.
Chief engineer CB Ojha said, “The multi-storey building’s lift has to be replaced entirely as it has completed twenty years of its validity. Its tender has already been awarded.”
“The OPD lift is under repair and will be operational by Tuesday,” he added.
Meanwhile, basic facilities in the hospital’s washrooms are equally neglected. Both male and female washrooms in the OPD block lack consistent water supply, taps and flush handles are broken, and soap dispensers sit empty.
Worse, lockless doors compromise privacy, particularly for female patients and visitors.
A senior hospital official mentioned that efforts are underway to address these issues.