Mumbai: Rajawadi Hospital help desk remains shut nearly three years after announcement

A help desk meant to make hospital visits easier for patients at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar East remains nonoperational nearly three years after the BMC announced the Rugna Mitra initiative The cabin has been installed but no staff have been appointed to guide patients and their relatives according to residents and the hospital administrationThe initiative was announced in August 2023 at the behest of Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha A BMC tender for a fully equipped portable help desk at Rajawadi Hospital was issued in November that year but the facility is yet to become operationalWhat the hospital saysDr Bharti Rajulwala senior medical superintendent at Rajawadi Hospital confirmed that the help desk is yet to become operational because of a shortage of manpower ldquoOnce operational it will surely be of help to peoplerdquo she said A doctor attached to the hospital requesting anonymity said the proposal was to operate the desk in two eighthour shifts to provide assistance during peak OPD hoursldquoThe proposal was to operate the help desk in two eighthour shifts to ensure that patients receive assistance during peak OPD hours It would also be beneficial to consider employing persons with disabilities who have basic computer skills to manage the help desk This would provide them with a source of livelihood while offering them a role that with suitable accessibility arrangements could be manageable and not physically strenuousrdquo the doctor saidThe plan behind Rugna MitraThe initiative was announced in August 2023 to provide with a single point of contact for hospital information and guidance The proposed desks were to be placed near hospital entrances or registration counters and staffed by personnel with computer skills and proficiency in Marathi Hindi and EnglishVoice of patientsSharad Kolamkar 59 a resident of Pantnagar Ghatkopar EastlsquoI visit Rajawadi Hospital regularly as we cannot afford private treatment The helpdesk cabin is in place but there is no one stationed there to assist patients People often have to ask around for directions and in the absence of proper guidance patients and their relatives are left confused especially during the peak OPD hoursrsquoVijay Susvirkar 49 a resident of Ramabai Ambedkar NagarlsquoNewcomers and those accompanying masscasualty victims often run from pillar to post searching for registration counters and diagnostic facilities such as Xray and CT scans including wards A singlewindow help desk could guide them and receive complaints for instance the lack of menrsquos urinals on the ground and first floors of the OPD forces even diabetic patients to climb to the second floor An operational help desk could address such concerns and provide muchneeded assistancersquoFormer hospital chief speaksDr Vidya Thakur superintendent of Municipal General Peripheral Hospitals said manpower shortages had hindered implementation ldquoIt was a good concept but manpower shortages prevented its intended implementation The initiative was announced in late August during my tenure before I retired in December While major hospitals such as KEM have functional help desks the scheme was still in process including at peripheral hospitalsrdquoAttempts to contact Mangal Prabhat Lodha did not yield a responseThe problem A cabin without staffPrakash Wani a local Shiv Sena UBT leader who has been associated with Rajawadi Hospital for decades said the help desk had been installed more than two years ago but had neither been inaugurated nor made operationalldquoIt has been more than two years since the Rugna Mitra helpdesk setup was installed at Rajawadi Hospital following its announcement in 2023 but it has still not been inaugurated or made operational No staff have been appointed to run the facility This defeats the very purpose of setting up the help deskrdquoWani said the desk could serve as a single point of contact for patients looking for wards laboratories doctors and outpatient departments OPDs Since the OPD building is separate from the main hospital building he said patients often struggle to locate the right department or consulting room He added that a staffed desk could be particularly useful during busy morning and afternoon OPD hours when patients from distant areas visit the hospitalldquoA functioning help desk would have been particularly useful during peak OPD hours from early morning until late afternoon when large numbers of patients visit the hospital Many patients come from distant areas and may already be anxious about their treatment Proper guidance at the entrance could save them time reduce confusion and make their hospital visit easier It is unfortunate that a facility intended for public convenience remains unused without staff The hospital administration and the BMC should look into the matter and ensure that the help desk is made operational for the benefit of patientsrdquo he said