Mumbai Hospital's Broken Lift Leaves Patients Climbing Stairs

For four months, patients at Mumbai's KEM Hospital's orthopaedic center have been forced to climb stairs for treatment because the building's lift is non-operational. This situation affects individuals with fractures, spinal injuries, and other orthopaedic conditions, many of whom must ascend three floors. The broken lift renders essential equipment like stretchers and wheelchairs unusable, and patients also face difficulties accessing the main hospital building for necessary tests, reports, and medications.

The plight gained public attention when a video surfaced showing an elderly man with a fracture struggling to climb the stairs. This led to an inquiry ordered by the civic health department. Hospital dean Dr. Harish Pathak stated that a purchase order for a new lift was issued on February 16, 2023, to replace the nearly 40-year-old unit. He indicated that the lift shaft requires significant structural work, with completion of this phase expected within a week and the new lift operational within approximately 30 days.

Meanwhile, the BMC offered a rebuttal regarding the elderly man in the video, Sahadev Kadam, stating he had undergone surgery for a fractured ankle in May and had healed sufficiently to walk. They claim his implant was removed on November 9, and he was awaiting discharge but allowed to stay due to relatives living far away. However, this explanation does not address why a 78-year-old patient needed to use the stairs.