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, identified as Ravindran Nair, was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital on 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.
According to police reports, Nair tried to yell out for help and push the emergency bell, but it seemed to have gone unheard. His family failed to communicate with him, so they reported him missing on Sunday evening. It was only on Monday morning that an operational worker had to come and free Nair from the lift.
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 and said that stringent action will be taken against the guilty.
Nair, visibly shaken, recounted his ordeal: ”I continued to frantically press the alarm button, but nobody responded and 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.
