Parking crisis at RKM hospital in Arunchal’s Itanagar causes hardship for patients, attendants

Patients and attendants visiting the Rama Krishna Mission (RKM) Hospital in Itanagar continue to face severe difficulties due to the acute shortage of parking space, turning already stressful hospital visits into frustrating ordeals.

One of the largest tertiary charitable healthcare institutions in the Arunachal Pradesh capital, RKM Hospital caters to nearly 10,000 people daily, including patients, attendants and visitors. However, the hospital’s existing parking infrastructure has failed to keep pace with this heavy footfall, resulting in chronic congestion within and around the hospital premises.

Attendants are often seen circling the hospital for extended periods in search of parking, adding to delays and anxiety. “I had to drive around for nearly 20 minutes just to find a place to park,” said a patient who had brought his father for a medical check-up. “The parking lot is too small and there is no proper management. It only adds to the pressure during an already difficult time,” he added.

Many visitors have demanded that the adjacent Vivekananda Park be temporarily or permanently converted into an extended parking facility in the larger public interest. “The huge Vivekananda Park should be converted into parking for the welfare of the people,” another attendant said.

Sources said that the issue has been raised earlier at administrative levels. Former Itanagar Deputy Commissioner Talo Potom and several civil society organisations had reportedly urged Swami Maharaj and the RKM authorities to consider converting the park into a parking area, citing severe space constraints at the hospital.

However, the proposal reportedly faced objections from Belur Math, the international headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission located in Howrah, West Bengal.

The parking concerns have also resurfaced amid discussions on infrastructure expansion, as RKM Hospital receives substantial aid and corpus funds from the state government, and a new hospital complex is currently under construction. Despite this, patients and attendants say immediate relief is needed to address daily hardships.

With healthcare access already a challenge for many in the region, visitors and civil society groups have urged the authorities to find a practical and humane solution to the parking crisis, ensuring smoother access to one of the state capital’s most vital healthcare institutions.