KEM students gift colour-coded maps to patients to reduce chaos at the hospital

The first map was installed at the KEM hospital on Monday

Patients at KEM hospital won't have to wander aimlessly to look for doctors or wards anymore. Hundreds of undergraduate MBBS students of the college have funded and designed colour-coded navigation maps that will help patients navigate the premises easily. A total of 22 such maps in regional languages will be pasted throughout the city's biggest civic-run hospital. The first map was installed on Monday, but by Wednesday, 21 maps will be pasted all over the premises.

KEM sees a footfall of 8,000 patients on an average every day. These patients, who are also from far-off districts and neighbouring states, are unaware of the various departments of the hospital and have to keep running from one place to another.

The colourful maps are in regional languages

This often leads to chaos and confusion, especially during a medical crisis. During mid-day's fire safety audit in hospitals, patients had also complained how they have to wander in the hospital because of the lack of proper identification marks at KEM.

In pink and blue
"The patients who come in are extremely poor, and some of them can't even read. So, we have designed the map according to colour codes. The colour blue is for the building where patients will be admitted, while areas where food is served are pin. This would help patients identify the departments," said Swastika Lamture, final year undergraduate student and general secretary of the medical college.

The students have also taken inspiration from the navigation maps placed at the entrance of shopping malls. They are now designing such maps for KEM too, which will be placed at the entrance of each building.

"We are also working to design the departments of each building. For the new building, we are trying to put the navigation map of each floors with the simplest graphics for the patients to understand," she added.

"Doctors are often called insensitive, but this creative initiative of the young doctors shows how much they care for the patients. These maps would certainly help," said Dr Avinash Supe, KEM dean.

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