Elevator Issues in India Government Hospitals Focus of Inspection

Public Works Department (PWD) officials have inspected the elevators installed at government hospitals in rural and urban areas of the state of Chennai in India after Health Minister Ma Subramanian got stuck in Stanley Hospital’s elevator recently, The New Indian Express reports. A senior government doctor working in Namakkal told the source that one of the major challenges confronting public hospitals is the sorry state of their elevators. Another complaint is that there is no lift operator in many government hospitals, so patients are forced to operate them. A senior PWD official said the department maintains nearly 800 lifts across the state. “According to our recent survey, approximately 30% of the lifts in the state need to be replaced. However, our inspection is continuing to identify the old lifts,” the official added. A detailed report will be submitted to the government by the end of the month, and officials are expecting funds in the upcoming budget session.