Chandigarh: A programme designed to streamline patient navigation at the PGI is under scrutiny after a student volunteer accidentally mowed down a patient at the New OPD porch on Wednesday morning.The incident occurred around 10 am when a volunteer with Project Sarathi — an initiative where students assist patients with hospital logistics — struck Poonam Jha, a patient visiting for a routine follow-up. The impact was severe, leaving the chronic kidney patient with a fractured jaw and other injuries. She was immediately rushed to the PGI Trauma Centre for emergency treatment. Project Sarathi was inaugurated in May 2024 to provide “selfless service” through hospital navigation and non-clinical support. While the programme has been credited with reducing patient wait times and providing over 100,000 hours of service, this morning’s accident has raised serious questions about the boundaries of volunteer duties and the lack of supervision in high-traffic hospital zones. The volunteer was attempting to park a car at the “request and insistence” of a vehicle owner’s attendant when the collision occurred. PGI officials were quick to clarify that parking vehicles is not part of the Sarathi mandate, labelling the volunteer’s action a “purely personal decision.” The victim’s relative, Shashi Bhushan Jha, expressed outrage over the lapse, questioning how a student volunteer — reportedly a minor — was permitted to handle a vehicle in such a congested area. In a statement, PGI noted that the patient, who is also being treated for chronic kidney disease, is currently stable and “out of danger”. The institute confirmed that all medical care for her injuries is being provided free of cost, with plastic surgery and neurosurgery teams coordinating her recovery. The PGI maintains the incident was “purely accidental” and the relatives have assured that they would not file any police complaint. “The relatives of the victim met the director and the higher officials and have been assured of any assistance,” said the official spokesperson. The spokesperson said, “An accidental incident was reported involving a Sarathi student volunteer during patient assistance. While helping an elderly patient and, at the request and insistence of the attendant of the vehicle owner, attempting to park the car, the volunteer inadvertently struck a pedestrian. It is clarified that ‘parking of vehicles is not part of Sarathi duties and this was a purely personal decision taken under the attendant’s insistence’.“
