In a devastating ordeal a 59- year old patient got stuck inside a hospital lift in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala for almost two days.
The affected patient as identified as Ravindran Nair had been admitted in the Government Medical College Hospital on the Saturday for a normal check-up. Nair defended himself by saying the lift he used got stuck and for some reason he did not have access to any communication device to call for help.
From police reports, Nair tried to yell out for help and pushed the emergency bell, but it seemed to have gone unheard. His family, failing to communicate with him, reported him missing on Sunday evening. It was only on Monday morning, when an operational worker had to come and free Nair from the lift.
The Kerala health department officials have sacked two lift operators and a duty sergeant citing negligence as the reason. The state health minister Veena George has demanded an investigation into the incident saying that stringent action will be taken against the guilty.
Nair, visibly shaken, recounted his ordeal: ”I continued to press the alarm button frantically, but nobody responded, and people ran towards me for help. I even tried to dial emergency numbers, but to my surprise, there was no response. ”
The tragic event has brought the major issues of safety measures and disaster management in health facilities into the limelight. The public is, therefore, calling for proper reforms to ensure that patients in the state’s health facilities are well taken care of.
