Bhubaneswar, Sept 1: Poor parking management on Capital Hospital premises has turned into a nightmare for patients and attendants.
The city's biggest government-run healthcare facility has no specified parking lot for patients and visitors while around 2500 four wheelers and auto-rickshaws come here carrying patients and attendants along with over 1000 two-wheelers.
Ambulance drivers often face problems in carrying patients because of unauthorized parking by local auto-rickshaws on both sides of the main road connecting the hospital.
"We need to reach wards in time as we carry critical patients. Randomly-parked vehicles on the premises often block our way," said ambulance driver Sangram Jena.
Moreover, "no-parking" signages put up at several places in the hospital have lost significance with visitors hardly abiding by it. It is a usual practice for people to park their vehicles at places where they see "no-parking signs", said an attendant.
Around 3000 to 4000 patients visit the Capital Hospital daily with plying of around 2500 cars and auto rickshaws. They are facing lots of problems due to the lack of parking facilities, said a hospital staff.
Capital Hospital Director Dr Laxmidhar Sahoo said several construction works are going on in the hospital premises following which no parking place is available for cars. The employees are parking their vehicles at the designated parking lot. There are two parking lots only for two-wheelers on the campus. Parking places have been earmarked in the new plan approved for the hospital.
