Vani Vilas Hospital faces lift crisis after rains

Bengaluru: Patients at the government-run Vani Vilas Hospital seem to have had a rough few days since Diwali. A few of them went on record on Tuesday to say that the hospital lift has not been working for the last few days and they have to use stairs. The hospital, however, clarified that one of the three lifts broke down because of heavy rains and flooding of the basement, which has been a recurring problem for the hospital. 

“We have three lifts and one of them stopped because of technical issues. As it was the festival season, we could not get hold of a repair person. We are working on fixing the lift and most probably it will start functioning from tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon," said Dr Geetha Shivamurthy, Medical Superintendent, Vani Vilas Hospital.

The hospital stressed that patients on wheelchairs and pregnant women did not face any problem. “Apart from two other lifts, there is also a ramp which is used by the patients on wheelchairs and stretchers. We have some 50 deliveries every day and in cases where the lift is not working, the doctors and staff are asked to use the stairs so that the patients can use the other lifts and ramps," she said.

The hospital gets flooded during heavy rains because of improper drainage. "We are working on the problem," she said.