Srinagar, May 5: Patients and their attendants at Bone and Joint Hospital Srinagar are set to get relief from long-standing parking and access issues. The hospital has initiated a series of infrastructure upgrades, making patient and attendant movement at the hospital faster and smoother, Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, Dr Adil Hassan Kangoo said.
Detailing the plan, which is already in execution phase, the MS said, the hospital will now have a dedicated entry and exit from the Bund side. The hospital, till now has a narrow, ill-maintained entry through the airport road, while the Bund connected the road to other parts of the city and not the hospital. This diversion is aimed at streamlining traffic flow, as well as create safety for orthopedic patients. Dr Kangoo said attendants and patient vehicles will be able to enter from the Bund side, drop or pick up patients from the OPD and other sections. The exit, he said, will also be through the same route. “We will, for the first time, have entry and exit gates separate, which is very important for a hospital like ours,” he said.
In addition, in a major step to address the parking crisis at the hospital, around five kanals of land behind the newly inaugurated hospital block have been developed for parking, Dr Kangoo informed. “The space will cater to both staff and attendants,” he said. He added that the process to formally allot and manage the parking facility is currently underway, with the Rate Contract Committee of Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar.
In order to improve patient movement within the hospital, Dr Kangoo said a dedicated trolley and wheelchair-friendly pathway has been developed from patient care areas to the MRI unit. “A ramp connecting the new parking area to the hospital has also been constructed to ensure smoother access,” he said. This is especially crucial for patients with limited mobility.
Over the past weeks, many patients had complained of access issues into the casualty and OPD areas due to rubble and construction work at the entrance. The B&J Hospital officials said the existing, often congested parking area near the OPD and casualty entrance has been dismantled. “The space will now be converted into a green zone, the inconvenience is regretted but we assure patients and public that this is temporary,” Dr Kangoo said. “The changes may have caused some inconvenience, but they are for the greater common good,” he said.
