Cuttack: The draconian practice of mortgaging mobile phones for availing stretchers of wheelchairs at SCB Medical College and Hospital has been discontinued. From Friday onwards, the general public will need to submit their identity proofs to take a stretcher for their patients from the Sahay kiosk at SCB MCH, said Sahay In-charge, Anubha Panda.
Speaking to Ommcom News, Panda said they were forced to lay down the norms as many would not return the stretcher and leave it at far-off departments after use. “They are least bothered to collect the photocopy of the identity cards, but if it is something valuable, the attendants would return with the stretcher and hand it over safely, on time,” she said.
“However, we have decided to discontinue the practice following reports in some sections of the media. From tomorrow onwards, attendants can furnish their identity cards like AADHAR, Driving License, or Voter I-Card and avail stretchers and wheelchairs,” she added.
Contacted, hospital staff said, the system will be streamlined and more stretchers and wheelchairs will be made available. “On many occasions, the attendants take away the stretcher if the patient was referred to a nursing home or elsewhere. And at times they would abandon the stretcher at a department far away. These only cause inconvenience to other people (serious patients) in the queue.”
Over the past couple of months, attendants of patients in need of a stretcher or wheelchairs had to deposit his/her mobile phone to get a wheelchair or stretcher. While communication is indispensable for people coming to hospitals with their near and dear ones, leaving a cell phone as a mortgage was worsening woes.
Many of them had complained about the practice to the higher-ups. The authorities took cognisance of the concern after the matter was reported in media following which the rule to deposit mobile phones for stretchers was discontinued.
