Parking woes at Khoula Hospital

Muscat: Khoula Hospital is one of the major reference hospitals in Oman, which patients from all over the Sultanate frequent. However, parking availability has become a major concern for patients and visitors. They often find parking far from the hospital premises, which exposes patients and the elderly to exhaustion and fatigue due to walking a long distance to reach the hospital.

The parking issue at Khoula Hospital is not a recent development but a persistent concern that demands immediate attention. It requires plans to reduce crowding and provide alternatives to parking. With the increase in new health facilities that accommodate more patients, finding suitable parking spaces has become more difficult.

Saada al Numani, one of the hospital visitors, said, "We face difficulty due to the lack of parking spaces, as we have to leave the house very early, and when we arrive, we always find the parking spaces full. Al Numani expressed dissatisfaction with one golf cart in Khoula Hospital, saying, "Khoula Hospital is one of the largest hospitals in Oman and receives huge numbers of patients, and more than one golf cart is supposed to be allocated to it."

Al Numani suggests coordinating the number of appointments per day to be consistent with the number of available parking spaces and providing more than one golf cart to transport visitors to reduce this crisis.

Salem al Buraiki, a frequent visitor to the hospital, shared his experience, saying, "I find it very difficult to secure a parking spot during every visit to the hospital. We are often forced to park far away from the hospital grounds, resulting in lengthy walks. This can be especially burdensome for critically ill patients and elderly individuals who struggle with long distances, especially in the scorching sun."

While Khoula Hospital has attempted to mitigate the issue by providing a golf cart to assist the elderly and individuals with special needs, it is evident that one golf cart is insufficient to cater to the significant volume of patients and visitors. The parking lot at the Hospital is very large, and finding a convenient spot is a rarity, necessitating long walks for many.

Hassan al Wahaibi, another visitor, echoed these sentiments, stating, "We face significant challenges finding parking during each hospital visit, resulting in distant parking spots and extended walks. It is imperative to address this issue promptly. Increasing the number of golf carts to assist critically ill and elderly patients is one viable solution, alongside addressing the shortage of parking spaces."

Al Wahaibi emphasised the importance of prioritising this matter, considering the hospital's steadily increasing number of visitors. He stressed that individuals seeking medical attention should be able to search for parking spaces or endure long walks, especially those needing immediate medical care.

Youssef al Rahbi, another concerned visitor, suggested, "Efficient parking management strategies must be implemented to accommodate reviewers' vehicles effectively, particularly during peak times. This will ensure smooth traffic flow and provide convenient access to the hospital".

"In addition to increasing the number of golf carts and deploying theme across all parking areas in the hospital to transport all patients and visitors to the hospital entrance or the emergency and accident department or to other hospital facilities and vice versa. This is to facilitate the movement of patients and visitors within the hospital," Al Rahbi said.