Balrampur hospital makes stretchers soundless, jerk-proof
LUCKNOW: Indigenous modification has not only increased the life of stretchers but also made them jerk-proof for patients at the Balrampur hospital.
The change, though small – replacing big wheels with tubeless tyres in place of conventional wheels—has turned out to be a major one.
“Surprisingly, they have turned soundless and the usual rattling sound of stretchers is no longer heard on the campus,” said Dr EU Siddiqui, Balrampur hospital director.
The hospital initially tried changing the wheels of a dozen stretchers, but as the experiment went successful the hospital authorities have decided to replace all stretcher wheels as they get damaged and need repair. The initiative is one of its kind in the state as stretchers come with wheels in two sizes but this tubeless tyre wheel is more than double the conventional wheel size.
These stretchers are used to shift patients from emergency department to new private ward and other wards and even for getting x-ray and other diagnostic tests done. “The sound that stretchers make and jerk they give while being moved on the road can cause major damage to patients, especially those who come after road accident injury,” said a government doctor.
He said that in some of the countries, hospitals had separate path for moving stretchers and these pathways had antiskid tiles in place of concrete road on the hospital campus. “Perhaps it is time we too make such pathways to stop damage to stretchers,” he said.