PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Several patients and attendants have expressed concern about the deteriorated state of some of the cushioned seats in the OPD building of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital. The seats, intended for use by patients and their attendants are reportedly in a suboptimal condition. Although both steel and cushioned seats are available, the cushioned seats, which offer greater comfort, are torn and have exposed foam.
This situation has led patients and attendants to question the GDMC administration’s prioritisation of their comfort. Regarding this, the patients along with attendants, emphasised that the administration takes prompt action to repair or replace the damaged cushion seats in the OPD building.
According to the officials, the OPD building has between 50 and 55 cushioned seats available across all floors for the use of patients and their attendants, in addition to standard steel seats.
One patient, Vandna Devi voiced her concern regarding the deteriorating condition of the cushioned seats provided for patients in the OPD building during waiting periods. She said that while both steel and cushioned seats options are present, patients tend to favour the cushioned seats for comfort. However, many of these seats are damaged. Devi said that some of the cushioned seats throughout the OPD building are torn, which leads to discomfort for patients. She urged the administration to address this issue and take appropriate action.
“The torn and damaged seats have raised concerns regarding the prioritisation of patients and their attendants in the view of the hospital administration. In the OPD, people of all ages seek care and I urge the GDMC hospital administration to consider the repair of these cushion seats as an important issue alongside others,” stated attendant Mohan Tyagi.
Numerous patients and their companions have echoed similar concerns, urging the hospital administration to take swift action to repair the mentioned seats.
In response, medical superintendent Dr RS Bisht said that they typically repair these cushioned seats and others in the OPD on a monthly basis. However, some patients damage them while sitting with sharp objects such as vehicle keys. Moreover, some patients or attendants also negatively impact the hospital’s hygiene standards. The administration can only appeal to patients to be more considerate and ensure that they don’t damage the hospital property, Bisht added.
