Blue tarpaulin covers patient help desk at Rajawadi Hospital; administration cites safety

The Rugna Mitra help desk at Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar East has been covered with a blue tarpaulin. The move came soon after it emerged a day earlier that the desk was lying unused because of a shortage of staff. It is now hidden from patients who need help, but not from their minds.

The desk was set up to help patients and their relatives reach the right place in the hospital. Mangal Prabhat Lodha, guardian minister of the suburban district, announced Rugna Mitra facilities in 2023. Local residents and social workers have now raised questions over the covering. They say the focus should be on starting the desk rather than hiding it. The administration, however, has given a different reason.

Vijay Susvirkar (49), who lives in Ramabai Ambedkar Nagar, said: "It is wrong to keep covered a desk built for the public good. Instead of hiding it, the administration should ensure it does the work it is meant for. If the help desk is started, people will benefit. In an emergency, patients and their relatives should be able to know where the concerned department is and which ward the patient has been admitted to."

Sharad Kolamkar (59), a resident of Pantnagar in Ghatkopar East, said patients often find it hard to find their way around the hospital when they have to go from one department to another for tests and other procedures. He said: "Why cover a help desk meant for the public's convenience? Patients sent for an X-ray or CT scan have to go from one floor to another or from one counter to another, and sometimes they do not get enough help from hospital staff. A working help desk could send them to the right department and everything would be easier. The administration should start this desk for the benefit of patients and their relatives."

Dr Bharati Rajulwala, medical superintendent of Rajawadi Hospital, said she ordered the desk to be covered so that it is not damaged and for public safety. She gave as the reason that an electric vehicle (EV) charging line used for ambulances runs nearby.

She also said the process of linking the hospital's departments to the Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) is under way. Once it is complete, the help desk will be able to provide genuinely useful help. According to her, the person sitting at the desk will then be able to see computerised records and give exact information on the floor, along with ward numbers of admitted patients. "There is no other motive behind putting a tarpaulin on the desk," she said firmly.

In a crowded municipal hospital, finding departments and wards and understanding procedures can be difficult for patients. Local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Prakash Vani, who raised the issue, said a staffed help desk is a single point of contact, reduces confusion and helps visitors reach the right place.

The question now is when exactly the desk will start and what arrangements will be in place for patients until then. The hospital says the desk's effective working depends on the HMIS linkage, while residents demand that it do the work it is meant for. Although the administration has explained why the desk was covered, questions remain over when staff will be available, when the linking work will be completed and how patients will get guidance in the meantime.

A Rugna Mitra help desk guides patients to the right departments, wards and testing facilities. It helps with registration, tests, admission, referral and discharge. It supports senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and patients from rural and economically weaker sections. It reduces confusion and delay, improves the patient experience, and connects patients with available services, eligible schemes and concessions. The desk handles routine inquiries, so hospital staff can focus on patient care. It also gives a point of contact for complaints and builds public trust in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's health services.