Video: No Lift, Elderly Patient With Plastered Leg Crawls Up Stairs In Mumbai Hospital, Probe Ordered

A mobile video of a 78-year-old orthopaedic patient, with his right leg in a plaster cast, shows him dragging himself backwards up a flight of stairs at Mumbai's King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital, where a nearly four-decade-old lift has remained out of service for months.

The hospital is managed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the country's richest civic body, which has now ordered an investigation after the video surfaced and went viral on social media.

The probe will look into possible lapses in patient care and the alternative arrangements made after the only lift in the hospital's orthopaedics building was shut for replacement. Officials said a factual report has been sought within 10 days and a notice has been issued to the head of the hospital unit concerned.

The 37-second video shows the elderly man identified as Sahadev Kadam seated on the stone steps of the hospital's orthopaedic centre in south Mumbai's Parel. Wearing a light blue shirt, shorts and a knit cap, Kadam uses his right hand on the steps and holds the metal railing with his left. His right lower leg is in a plaster cast. He then hoists himself backwards one step at a time.

Several people pass him on the narrow staircase and a voice is heard in the final seconds saying, "Thamba jara", or "wait a moment" in Marathi.

The viral video drew attention to the conditions faced by elderly and injured patients after the lift was taken out of service. The BMC said the lift in the orthopaedics building was approximately 39 years old and frequent breakdowns caused by wear and tear had made its continued use an accident risk.

The lift has reportedly been out of service since August, although a purchase order for a replacement was issued in February 2023. The hospital authorities attributed the delay to difficulties in shifting inpatients, particularly those with restricted mobility.

The replacement and repairs to the lift shaft are being carried out through the hospital's civil engineering department. According to the BMC, the head of the orthopaedics department had issued a circular as a safety measure which said patients unable to walk on their own should not be admitted to the orthopaedics building while the lift remained unavailable. They were instead to be accommodated in the hospital's multi-storey building.

Kadam underwent surgery in May and had been able to move with the help of a walker for the last two months, the hospital administration said. He was readmitted for the removal of an implant and underwent surgery on November 9, after which a plaster cast was applied to stabilise his ankle.

The administration said he was medically fit for discharge after the procedure and was allowed to remain in the hospital on "humanitarian grounds" after his relatives, who live far away, requested more time.

The BMC, however, said keeping him in the orthopaedics building violated the instructions contained in the standing circular. Kadam has since been shifted to the hospital's multi-storey building.

A committee chaired by the deputy municipal commissioner for public health will look into the sequence of events. It will also prepare standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent similar incidents while essential hospital infrastructure is being repaired or replaced.