Lack of parking space at Tiruchy MGMGH troubles visitors
TIRUCHY: Visitors to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital (MGMGH) usually witness a barrage of vehicles parked at the “No Parking” zones due to inadequate parking spaces. This has affected the commute of ambulances. Moreover, bike thefts have become rampant here, exacerbating the issue.
According to sources, a few months ago, the vast space used for parking vehicles of hospital staff and patients was used up to construct a broad speciality hospital. Visitors allege that the existing parking space is cramped and not big enough for four-wheelers. “During the daytime, the area is packed and there’s barely any space to park our vehicles. Most of the time we are left with no option other than to park in the no-parking areas,” said S Dinesh, a visitor from Beemanagar.
While bikes can be moved, cars- particularly of doctors and VIPs- are parked on the narrow vacant space right in front of the new building, blocking the path of ambulances, said a source in the hospital. “Emergency ambulances get delayed as the bikes block their regular path. No one listens to us as there is no space for parking vehicles. We are helpless,” said a private security guard who supervises the parking areas.
“Most cars parked right in front of the new building belong to doctors and VIPs with political flags tied. This leaves no place for the people to walk and utilize the space. Only ambulances should be allowed to park here. At times of emergency, it is almost impossible to find the owners of the car and shift it,” said Ibrahim, an activist based in Tiruchy. The activist further pointed out that even the broad specialty hospital, which is under construction has parking facilities only for doctors and not visitors.
When contacted, a senior doctor told TNIE “There is no dedicated space for parking cars of doctors now. We have to work for almost 48 hours. We are left without a choice, several doctors even paid fines to the police.”Although violators, including doctors, were often slapped with fines by the law and order and traffic police, a permanent solution is overdue. To make matters worse, bikes are stolen every month in the MGMGH. A police official at the Tiruchy GH station said, “ We receive at least three bike theft complaints every month. To curb the thefts, we have made one way for both entry and exit. Regular document verification drive is carried out at night.” When TNIE tried to reach out to senior officials in the health department, they were unavailable for comment.
