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Doctor's tragic death: Faulty lift system the cause
By Apsara Kapukotuwa
A faulty and aged elevator system maybe the main cause of the unfortunate death of a doctor attached to the Warakapola Hospital. The dire need for the overhauling of elevators in all the hospitals is apparent. However, last Monday's incident was the first recorded death.

Dr. K.D.J. Kuruppu, a Registered Medical Officer attached to the OPD died last Monday in an unfortunate accident. The 53-year-old father-of-three was one of the first on the scene when the islandwide power failure last Monday evening resulted in a hospital labourer getting stuck in a lift while returning with a wheel chair after dropping off a patient in a ward.

The DMO at the hospital Dr. Nihal Wijepala was one of the people who saw Dr. Kuruppu attempting to get the labourer out of the lift. "I was going down the stairs when I saw Dr. Kuruppu. I spoke to him and he was adamant that we had one of the most sturdy lift systems. The record should be straight on what exactly happened as there has been a lot of misreporting in the press," Dr. Wijepala said.

According to the DMO, the two elevators at the hospital are used alternatively and Dr. Kuruppu knew their mechanisms well. It is therefore a mystery as to how he fell down the shaft of the second elevator which was not in use.

"I heard people shouting that Dr. Kuruppu had fallen into the lift shaft. The mechanism of the lifts is such that if the lift is not there, the door to the shaft won't open. As there was a power failure it was very dark. He fell head first. It was an instantaneous death," Dr. Wijepala said.

Another doctor at the hospital, Dr. Damith Leelaratne, said "One moment I see him near the second lift door and a second later, he had fallen into the lift shaft. Obviously there is a defect in the mechanism. The lift door was not locked as it should have been because he did not use any force."

The DMO said the Ceylon Electricity Board has subcontracted the maintenance of the elevators, which is done 'once every 2 weeks or so'. However, the irony is that the labourer was in no immediate danger of suffocation, 'not even remotely in danger' as Dr. Wijepala put it.

Kegalle and Ragama Hospitals were reportedly some of the other hospitals which have faced similar incidents in the past. Kegalle Medical Superintendent Dr. S.A.K. Gamage said a similar incident occurred there before his tenure.

Ragama Hospital Director Dr. R.M.M. Rajamanthri was not satisfied with the situation at his hospital. “The lift has not been repaired even though we have paid Rs. 80,000. I hope something is done very soon,” he said

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