  We introduce a ladder-shaped chain with each rung carrying a $\mathcal{PT}$
-symmetric gain-loss dipole. The polarity of the dipoles is staggered along the
chain, meaning that a rung bearing gain-loss is followed by one bearing
loss-gain. This renders the system $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric in both horizontal
and vertical directions. The system is governed by a pair of linearly coupled
discrete nonlinear Schr\"{o}dinger (DNLS) equations with self-focusing or
defocusing cubic onsite nonlinearity. Starting from the analytically tractable
anti-continuum limit of uncoupled rungs and using the Newton's method for
identifying solutions and parametric continuation in the inter-rung coupling
for following the associated branches, we construct families of
$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric discrete solitons and identify their stability
regions. Waveforms stemming from a single excited rung, as well as ones from
multiple rungs are identified. Dynamics of unstable solitons is presented too.
