Parking chaos, concertina wires welcome visitors to hospital

Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital, one of the biggest maternity hospitals in the state, presents a picture of neglect and total mess.
Problems being faced by patients inside the hospital have been highlighted several times, but outside the premises, a man-made mess created by lack of parking space is a major cause of frustration to people. Despite expansion of the hospital building, not much has been done to create a parking lot.
Instead of resolving the issue, the hospital management has put up concertina wires near the entrance to prevent people from parking their vehicles, giving a jail-like look to the SMGS Hospital.
The management says this has been done to decongest the road leading to the building, but people have received injuries at times, especially during night hours.
“People are not to blame for the parking mess in the hospital. The government should consider making space to allow vehicles. There is not enough space to park four-wheelers. It should be incorporated in any future expansion of the building,” said Komal Sharma, an attendant with a patient.
On an average, 500 patients visit OPDs and emergency wing in the hospital and about 100 patients are admitted daily in these wings, beyond their capacity to manage.
“At times, ambulances have to wait as there are vehicles parked in the way. If no step is taken to have a parking lot near or inside the hospital, there will be chaos in the coming years,” said a senior doctor on the condition of anonymity.
The two main hospitals of Jammu, the Government Medical College and the SMGS Hospital, have a capacity of 900 beds each with many different units, but there are several shortcoming in infrastructure.