After the Department of Health Services shifted the emergency care ward to a new building on the southern side of the Government Hospital for easy access and swift mobility of patients, the very purpose of shifting to the new complex stands defeated owing to paucity of parking space for vehicles, including ‘108’ ambulance vans, and closure of one of the two main gates.
With the main gate remaining closed, the ambulance crew have to stop the vehicle on the road and shift the patients to the emergency ward in a stretcher. “Every day, we seek the help of hospital staff to shift patients to the emergency ward from the van. Earlier, ambulance drivers rode the vehicle up to the entrance of the ward and quickly shifted the patient inside. If two or three vans bring patients at a time, we have to wait in a queue. It causes much inconvenience to patients,” said van drivers.
If there are no staff around, patients have to walk to the ward from the road.
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Now, the open space outside the closed second gate has become a temporary parking lot for two-wheelers, fully blocking the second gate. Ambulance vans have no parking space even on the road outside the hospital.
The security staff in the hospital said the purpose of closing the second gate was to prevent entry of private vehicles into the emergency ward campus. Now ambulance vans are being parked on the road, near the hospital compound wall.
Another hindrance to vans is the bus stop just opposite the first gate and a median that creates parking bay for buses. With the road becoming narrow, there is traffic congestion in front of the first gate. Ambulance vans struggle to take a right turn to reach the first entrance on the southern side.
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Creation of more parking lots for private vehicles outside the hospital and removal of encroachments on the road will help ambulance drivers save several minutes in the golden hour and ensure quick access to the emergency ward.