Patient trapped in faulty lift for 42 hours at Thiruvananthapuram Medical College; three persons suspended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a shocking incident, a patient was trapped in a faulty elevator at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College for nearly 42 hours. Thirumala native Raveendran Nair (59), who reached the hospital seeking treatment for back pain, was the victim of the unforgivable negligence of the hospital authorities. Raveendran, who lives in Kochulloor, is a temporary employee of the MLA Hostel and a former secretary of the Thirumala local committee of the CPI.

Raveendran, who got stuck in the lift on Saturday afternoon, was unable to contact anyone for assistance since his phone broke after falling in the lift. The alarm and telephone inside the lift were also malfunctioning. He was found trapped in the lift on Monday morning while a police investigation was underway based on the missing complaint lodged by his family. It was only when maintenance workers arrived on Monday morning to repair the malfunctioning lift that they found Raveendran in a weak state inside.

Upon realising the seriousness of the matter, the hospital authorities provided him with expert treatment and shifted him to VIP room 502 in Deluxe Payward. Doctors said that Raveendran's BP is normal and health is satisfactory.

Following the incident, lift operators Murugan, Adarsh and duty sergeant Reji were suspended pending investigation. Murugan is a temporary employee.

Raveendran's wife is an employee of Medical College

The incident took place at around 12 pm on Saturday. Raveendran reached the Medical College at 10 am with his wife Sreelekha, an employee of the hospital. After his wife went to work, Raveendran took the lift from the OP block to the first floor and met the doctor at Ortho OP. Upon finding that he had forgotten to bring the blood test report, he returned home after telling the doctor. He came back to the hospital at around noon. He then entered Lift number 11 in the OP block and pressed the button for the first floor. After moving up, the lift quickly dropped down with a loud shudder. Raveendran's phone fell down and broke. Although he continuously pressed the alarm switch inside the lift, no one came to his help.

Even though he somehow managed to switch on his phone and dial the number written on the lift four times, no one picked up his calls. After some time, his phone ran out of charge. He then had no choice but to sit in the elevator, enduring the heat and thirst while hoping for someone to rescue him.