Vehicles enter GRH campus to reach Panagal Road, troubling patients, doctors

Vehicles entering Government Rajaji Hospital campus in Madurai during peak hours to reach Panagal Road have become a major disturbance for patients, doctors and healthcare workers.

The vehicles going on Panagal Road from Anna Bus Stand to Goripalayam have been diverted along the eastern wall of the GRH campus to reach Vaigai North Bank Road, from where they have to move back to Goripalayam junction.

To avoid this detour, several people using bikes, cars and autorickshaws take the rear entrance of the GRH to reach Panagal Road again.

“Vehicles entering through the rear entrance near the mortuary cross all blocks, including Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) ward, and come out of the hospital’s main entrance and then go on the wrong side to reach Goripalayam junction,” a doctor said. The vehicle users did not realise the danger they were causing to the patients and the doctors inside the hospital, he added.

Bike riders and auto drivers while passing through the GRH campus did not even wait till the blocks on the paths were cleared. They honk horns repeatedly to get the way cleared. With a simple realisation that the path they were taking was inside the hospital campus would stop them from disturbing sick people, the doctor said.

When the security personnel deployed at various locations on the hospital premises stopped the vehicle users to inquire about the purpose of entry, they either lied that they were to pick up or drop a patient or an employee or simply refuse to answer them.

An auto driver said to reach the other side of Panagal Road they found using the shorter route of entering GRH easier. He suggested that removing the barricade and making some adjustments near the main entrance of the hospital could solve the problem of local vehicles entering the hospital unnecessarily.

A senior doctor at GRH said to prevent the problem they were planning to introduce an attender pass system. “Only people possessing attenders’ card or giving any valid reason for their entry would be allowed inside. Also, security personnel are asked to check entry of all vehicles,” the doctor added.

He said the same problem existed on Madurai Medical College campus, which was used by vehicle users to reach Panagal Road from Collector Office Road. “Then, we informed the police and we believe they would deploy personnel to prevent unnecessary entry of vehicles,” he added.