Kolkata, 26 March (H.S.) : Controversy continues to follow RG Kar Hospital over elevator safety, as the facility faced two more elevator malfunctions on Wednesday morning, just five days after a fatal accident. Earlier, last Friday, a young man named Arup Bandyopadhyay, visiting the trauma centre for his son’s treatment, died when an elevator failed. On Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, two separate incidents caused panic among patients, their relatives, and hospital staff, trapping both riders and lift operators temporarily.

Hospital sources reported that at 7:52 am on Wednesday, an elevator in the casualty block malfunctioned while descending from the third floor and got stuck between the second and third floors. A patient from the Chest Medicine Department and six of their family members, who had boarded on the ground floor to descend, were trapped inside. After several attempts, the elevator finally reached the first floor, but the doors initially failed to open, causing considerable distress.

Earlier, around 1:30 am on Tuesday night, a similar malfunction occurred in an elevator at the academic building while descending from the principal’s office, trapping a lift operator. Unlike last Friday’s tragic incident, no casualties occurred in either of the recent malfunctions. CISF personnel and engineers eventually rescued all those trapped after prolonged efforts.

These repeated failures have raised serious concerns over maintenance and safety standards at the busy hospital. Patients and relatives have alleged that inadequate regular maintenance is to blame for the recurring incidents. The hospital administration, while assuring a thorough review of the matter, has not been able to dispel the anxiety that has gripped both patients and staff.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh