CANACONA
A 65-year-old patient and a helper had to be rescued after they got stranded inside the lift while he was being taken to the male ward on the second floor of the Community Health Centre (CHC) late Tuesday night.
The lift suddenly broke down while proceeding to the second floor, leaving the patient Anand Komarpant (65) and the helper stranded for over half an hour in the lift. Both were later rescued by Fire Services personnel.
According to CHC sources, the lift has been in good condition despite its extensive use and occasionally stops due to low voltage.
“There is, however, a mechanism where with the help of a key, the lift can be brought down to the ground floor, and a generator has to be operated to restart the lift,” said a source.
“These two things were not followed by the staff present on the occasion, compelling the 65-year-old patient to get trapped inside for over half an hour, till the Fire Services were called and the patient was brought out of the lift.”
It may be recalled that last year, residents had protested when the lift had been out of order and was of no use to patients and staff. Patients were forced to walk from the ground floor to the upper floors. The first floor has a female ward, besides other important units, while the second floor has a male ward and other hospital units.
The lift was subsequently repaired but is prone to malfunction if there is a low voltage.
