PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Patients and attendants at the Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) Hospital have expressed concerns over the lack of parking facilities, particularly for four-wheelers, at the OT, Emergency and ICU blocks. The absence of adequate parking space often forces patients and attendants to park their four-wheeled vehicles at a distance from the hospital, causing inconvenience. This also leads to traffic congestion when multiple vehicles arrive simultaneously, they added.
Hospital guards have acknowledged this, stating that they often have to request four-wheeler owners to remove their vehicles quickly to avoid congestion and ensure access for ambulances.
The hospital administration has assured that efforts are underway to address the parking issue soon. It is important to mention that the parking facilities for two-wheelers are also inadequate, although currently manageable.
An attendant, Mridul Rawat stated that he frequently goes to GDMC hospital for the treatment of his wife or other family members, often visiting the Emergency department. He said that he sometimes travels by two-wheeler and other times by a four-wheeler. He has noticed that the lack of parking for four-wheelers near the Emergency and ICU sections can be inconvenient, forcing them to park far from these buildings. While he pointed out that there is a basement parking lot available, it is reserved for doctors. Given the parking challenges for four-wheelers at the facility, he prefers to visit the hospital on a two-wheeler, adding that even though parking for two-wheelers is also limited, it remains manageable. He suggested that the hospital administration should address the parking problem, particularly for four-wheelers.
“The hospital administration needs to address the issue of four-wheeler parking at the OT, Emergency and ICU block. As a patient, I can attest to the difficulties we face when our attendants have to find parking elsewhere right after dropping us off at these locations. I recently experienced this situation during my visit to the Emergency department; instead of proceeding directly to treatment, my husband and I had to seek out secure four-wheeler parking outside the hospital, as the building does not provide any adequate parking facilities. This concern has been voiced by many other patients and their attendants as well.”
In addition to this, a guard also raised concerns regarding the lack of four-wheeler parking, stating that they must remain vigilant to prevent any four-wheeler vehicles from waiting too long at the building, as this could lead to traffic congestion. Because of the limited parking availability, they ensure that owners of four-wheelers park their vehicles in the municipal corporation of Dehradun and others.
In response to this, the hospital’s medical superintendent Dr RS Bisht said that the administration has already taken steps to address the parking situation. He said that construction is currently underway for a 500-bed hospital building adjacent to the operating theatre, emergency department, and ICU block. The construction of the said building is currently 70 per cent complete. The hospital administration has ensured that the said building will include two floors specifically designated for parking. The establishment of this building, along with the two floors allocated for parking, is expected to effectively resolve the parking issues at the hospital, he stated.
