Where have all the liftmen gone? Wonder patients’ kin in govt hosps

Kolkata: Hours after the lift tragedy claimed the life of a 40-year-old man at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Friday, TOI visited several other state-run hospitals in the city and found that lifts were functional without liftmen. This forces the patients' kin and hospital staff, including doctors and nurses, to operate the elevators themselves."If any emergency happens or the lift stops due to a mechanical fault, what shall I do? Who do I call?" asked a patient's wife while using an elevator in the emergency building of NRS Medical College and Hospital on Friday. The woman from Canning, who requested anonymity, had to go to the fifth floor of the building with her ailing husband, using the elevator herself.The emergency building, known as UN Brahmachari building, has four elevators, but no liftman was found on duty. Security guards on duty stated that the liftmen were "hardly found after reporting to duty in the morning".A doctor at the NRS Hospital said: "There are over 20 lifts across various buildings, and the gynecology department has the highest, six lifts, where liftmen are rarely spotted. It is same in the OPD, having three lifts. The daily footfall of patients in the OPD is close to 5,000, and the lifts in NRS, like other govt hospitals, are overused. So, a mechanical fault or technical snag is not impossible. There should be a liftman to address emergency situations. Personally, I feel that we should take a lesson from the RG Kar incident and make it mandatory for all liftmen to discharge their duty properly."According to health department officials, the PWD is responsible for the maintenance, repair, and installation of lifts at the govt-run healthcare facilities.The absence of liftmen was also noticed in the SSKM Hospital, the biggest state-run healthcare facility that has a daily footfall of thousands of people, including patients and their relatives. Tapan Roy from Sonarpur was found using the lift in the OPD alone with fear, as he saw the news of the RG Kar lift incident at home in the morning. "Many patients and their kin come from rural areas, and they are not familiar with using lifts. Why is no liftman there inside? The lift is spick and span, but the absence of a liftman makes its use risky; none knows when anything will occur. Even the instructions for use are written in English that many people may not be able to read," he said.The 11-storey trauma care building at SSKM Hospital has three lifts, but in most cases, security guards have to press buttons for those who are unable to use them, according to sources. "It is same in the main block or other departments where patient parties have to use the lifts for not getting liftmen available on work all the time. It is very difficult to come by a liftman at the time of emergency," said a doctor.At Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital, about 12 lifts function daily, but no liftman was in sight. A doctor said: "Sometimes doctors and ward boys help people in moving patients using the lifts. Getting a liftman is a very rare sight at our hospital. We often tell the security guards to keep watch on the people using the lifts since no liftman is found at work." Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with EId ul fitr 2026 wishes, messages and quotes !