Berhampur, Aug. 22: Laxmi Das, 48, had to shell out Rs 50 to an autorickshaw to get to the indoor building from the new casualty wing of MKCG Medical College and Hospital.

Das, who belongs to Karapalli, is a paralytic. She got admitted to the state government-run hospital on August 17.

Similar is the case with almost all the patients, who have to be shifted from the indoor ward to the new casualty wing of the hospital. And in most of the cases, patients have to depend on the auto service operational on the hospital premises. Those, who cannot afford the auto fare, are often spotted struggling to walk towards the indoor building with their arms resting on the attendants' shoulders.

The transportation problem on the MKCG premises has cropped up since August 12, when chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the new casualty building. Earlier, the casualty wing was situated inside the outdoor - which, in a way, was nearer to the indoor building. But after the new casualty wing became functional, it has added to the patients' woes as the distance between the casualty and the indoor building has now become around 500 metres.

Though on one hand, facilities and services at the new casualty have been improved, bringing relief to the patients, on the other, the extra distance has started telling upon them. "No doubt the system in the casualty has improved, but the distance between the casualty and the indoor is of great concern for the general patients," Das said.

"Now, patients are facing problems to get to the indoor for admission in a particular ward from the new casualty building. The newly inaugurated facility has been shifted to the rear end of the outdoor," said Ram Kumar Patra, president of the Sardar Ballav Bhai Patel Bahumukhi Sangha.

The sangha is an organisation that has been spearheading agitation for the interest of the MKCG patients since long.

"Besides, only two attendants are deployed in the casualty wing to transport patients on stretchers. But, considering the number of patients, deployment of only two attendants is not adequate. It takes nearly one hour to take a patient from the casualty wing to the indoor building and get him or her admitted in a particular ward. Moreover, as there is no lift in the indoor, the attendants at times take more time," he said.

However, to address the problem, the hospital authorities have urged the state government to provide battery-operated vehicles to transport patients from the new casualty building to the indoor.

"We have requested the state government to provide us two battery-operated vehicles to transport the patients from the casualty to the indoor building," said hospital superintendent Ashok Kumar Behera.

Dr Sunil Kumar Habada, senior resident of the surgery department, said the patients' inflow to the casualty saw an increase after the new building had become functional. "When 47 patients were admitted to the casualty on August 13, the number was 67 on August 14, 75 on August 15 and 95 on August 16," Dr Habada said.

There are 17 beds in the casualty, including six for one female ward and 11 for two male wards.

"We are providing casualty facilities on the ground floor and would provide the trauma care service on the first floor, medicine patient service on the second and a 20-bed intensive care unit on the third floor. There would be every facility to treat the emergency patients," said the hospital superintendent.

More facilities would be accommodated in a phased manner, he said.