Agra: Family members and attendants of patients who are unable to walk have to carry them to the out-patient department (OPD) of SN Medical College as stretchers and wheelchairs are mostly unavailable. A number of patients told TOI that the hospital staff is not cooperative and helpful.According to Dr Shailendra Chaudhary, spokesperson at the principal’s office, “We have four wheelchairs and four stretchers for the OPD.” Surprisingly, he didn’t feel that the existing equipment was not enough for about 2,500 patients who visit the OPD on a daily basis.Expressing unhappiness over the poor arrangement for patients, Rishabh Rajput from Acchhenra village who had brought his elderly father to the OPD, said that he was denied a wheelchair for his ailing father at the entrance gate. “When I asked the medical staff for a wheelchair, I was told that it wasn’t available. Though I saw a wheelchair and pointed towards it, the staff did not pay heed to it,” he said.Another patient, Rambabu Prajapti from Lohamandi locality of Agra city who was accompanied by his wife, said, “I was looking for a wheelchair and waited for some time at the OPD entrance as I was not able to walk properly. My wife contacted officials but none of them helped. I somehow managed to hobble to the doctor’s chamber with help from other visitors and my wife.”When asked about the plight of the patients, Dr Chaudhary said that action will be taken against the staffers who refuse to assist patients.

Stay updated with all the Agra Latest News headlines here. For more exclusive & live news updates from all around India, stay connected with NYOOOZ.