Lifting spirits

Lift operators have been there and seen it all. They are the invisible companions to those who enter the lift to get treatment at hospitals. Sancheti Hospital’s casualty ward boy Sheikh Zakir Yusuf,who has ferried patients with severe injuries to wards,says it is tough for him to control relatives who break down in the lift. Yusuf,who has been working at the casualty ward for three years now,says,”Being a lift operator,you have to witness not only the pain of the patient but also the plight of their relatives and friends. When I initially joined,my heart went out for them but then I gradually realised that I can’t let my emotions overpower my job. But some soothing words are what those panicked souls need,which we lift operators feel honoured to offer,” he says. And it is not just words but also proper handling of the equipment,which is required. “If you handle the stretcher and wheelchair roughly,your consoling words can lessen the metal turmoil but not the physical pain. You can’t just be sweet to them and consider yourself a good lift operator; handling the stretcher and wheelchair to get them inside the lift,helping out with the oxygen cylinder and so on is also very important.”

Mangesh Shantaram Ghanekar,a lift operator cum ward boy at Ratna Mem orial Hospital agrees. “A blend of both can ease people’s tension. It is not just the mental turmoil but also the physical pain that should be taken care of. Injuries can happen while shifting patients into the lift. For example,if the oxygen cylinder’s angle is not maintained,it can malfunction. So is the case with saline. A little jerk and the needle’s position can shift. We are of course trained to handle all this,” he adds.

And very often these small acts of kindness and comforting words,act as balms for their own souls too. Das who has been steering wheelchairs and stretchers into the lift of the Kotabagi Hospital for the past three years took up the job after retirement to keep himself busy after the tragic death of his daughter’s and wife. Today,he feels this job is the only respite from the barrage of mental turmoil he underwent after the death of his loved ones. ” When I took up this job,I was still mourning the loss of two loved ones and to add it,I had just taken retirement. The empty time that I had was killing me,” says Das. “After coming here,I realised that my plight was nothing compared to the many people who come here. Recently,there was a family who lost three members in an accident. One five-year-old met with an accident and sustained head injuries. Whenever I see all this,I realie joys and sorrows are a part of life and one needs to accept all that God gives,” he says.