Thiruvananthapuram: A 59-year-old man, who was stuck inside a hospital lift here for the past two days, was rescued on Monday morning after the lift was operated for routine work, police said. Ulloor resident P Ravindran Nair (59) had been stuck inside the lift of the OP Block of the government medical college here since Saturday, they said.
"He got into the lift to go to the first floor but claims that the lift came down and did not open. He says he shouted for help but no one came. His phone was also switched off," police said.
The man's family had on Sunday night filed a missing case with the medical college police. Meanwhile, three employees of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College have been suspended after a patient was trapped in a lift for two days. Two lift operators and a duty sergeant have been suspended pending investigation, officials said.
Following the incident, Health Minister Veena George instructed the Medical College authorities to investigate. Action was taken based on the report provided by the Joint Director of the Medical Education Department, Medical College Principal, and Superintendent. The Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Superintendent has sought a report from the security officer and assured that any employee found guilty will be punished, officials added.
Ravindran Nair, who is also a temporary employee of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and the secretary of CPI's Tirumala local committee in Thiruvananthapuram, had a miraculous escape this morning. He had visited the Medical College Orthopedic Department to seek treatment for back pain. After consulting the Ortho department on Saturday morning and undergoing some tests, he returned home. He came back to the medical college around noon to collect his report and show it to the doctor. When he took the lift to the first floor, it malfunctioned and stopped working.
Despite pressing the alarm switch multiple times and trying to use the phone in the lift, no one responded. Ravindran Nair’s mobile phone had fallen and broken, leaving him unable to call for help. No one at the Medical College realised that the patient was stuck in the lift until around 6 am today when a lift operator found him lying in a coma after opening the lift, officials added.
The lift operator claimed that a malfunctioning board was placed before the lift, but Ravindran Nair’s family disputes this, alleging that no warning board was present.
