Behind the Badge: Hari Garbuja

As a patient transport associate, Hari Garbuja is an integral part of the hospital community. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this role became even more essential and Garbuja says staff have been very supportive of his department, which is a part of Materials Management. “It was nice to be recognized by other departments throughout the hospital for our hard work,” he says. 

Garbuja has been lauded for his all-around support. The job of patient transport involves moving patients as well as any equipment they may be connected to, such as oxygen tanks, from one department to another. It also includes transporting sensitive equipment and laboratory samples within the hospital and making other deliveries between departments. Within the hospital halls, the patient transport team walks miles every day. 

Garbuja is proud of being an essential worker, and especially of his role during the first surge, saying, “When the whole country was shut down and quarantining, my team and myself continued to come into the hospital and continue our work as normal. I love the fact that I got to serve the hospital in such a great way during the pandemic.”