PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Increased patient footfall, space crunch and mismanagement among other factors have triggered severe parking constraints at the OPD building of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital.
The basement parking fills to capacity daily during peak hours, forcing visitors to park vehicles above the basement or on walkways inside the hospital premises (OPD Building).
Several visitors have raised concerns over the shortage of parking space. Vehicles parked on OPD walkways are obstructing movement and causing inconvenience to them. Visitors have urged authorities to take immediate steps to ease the said congestion within the hospital.
A patient Manveer Singh said he used to visit the GDMC OPD for check-ups and faces parking problems every time. “I do not want to park outside the OPD building because of the parking fee. The basement is usually full and many visitors have started parking on the OPD walkways. Sometimes I also do the same. But after several vehicles are parked there, walking becomes difficult and even taking the vehicle out after check-up is problematic,” he said.
Another attendant said the lack of parking in the OPD building is forcing visitors to park around the building. “The authorities should look into this matter and take action,” he added.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a GDMC Hospital staff member said the increased footfall has filled the OPD basement parking, which in turn has led visitors to park on the OPD walkways. “It does make movement difficult for pedestrians at the OPD building,” he said. He added that many visitors avoid parking on the road outside the OPD because it is chargeable, further increasing parking load inside the hospital.
Responding to the issue, GDMC Hospital medical superintendent Dr RS Bisht said high visitor footfall somehow affected parking capacity and led attendants to park on OPD walkways. “A few days ago, around 3,200 OPD patients along with emergency cases were recorded,” he said. He noted that parking outside the OPD building is chargeable, so visitors try to fit their vehicles inside the OPD premises.
Bisht said the parking problem will be resolved soon. A new building near the OT, Emergency and ICU building is under construction, where two floors will be designated for parking. “ GDMC Hospital staff will be liable to park there, which will ease space for patient vehicles,” he added.
