HC terms power outage at Rajindra Hospital shocking, asks Chief Secretary to file affidavit

Chandigarh: Taking serious note of the power failure incident at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala during a cancer patient’s surgery which left the facility, without electricity for 13 minutes, the Punjab and Haryana High Court expressed shock over the absence of an automatic switch-over system, emphasizing that such delays can be life-threatening, particularly for patients on life support. 

In a previous hearing, the court had asked the Punjab government to clarify the availability of a backup power supply at the hospital. In response, the state's counsel submitted a report that revealed that the power breakdown occurred at 11:44 AM on January 24. While the backup supply became functional at 11:46 AM, full restoration of power took until 11:57 AM. 

The delay of 13  minutes occurred due to the manual switchover from the regular electricity supply to the hospital’s diesel generator (DG) set since the hospital lacks an automatic switch-over system. 

Also read- HC seeks report on power backup at Rajindra Hospital after halt in surgery

Upon reviewing the report, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel expressed shock that Rajindra Hospital, Patiala—a premier healthcare facility serving not only Patiala but also neighbouring districts—lacked basic infrastructure, which is crucial in modern times. Further, it criticized the state authorities for failing to ensure an automatic switch-over system, calling it a critical lapse in a public health institution.

The court observed, "It is not surprising but shocking to note that in a public establishment like a hospital where the electric breakup of even a few seconds can be fatal for certain patients, especially those on life support, the electric supply was disrupted for 13 minutes though the backup was available but the same took 2 minutes to be functional because the same had to be operated manually."

The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition about a viral video showing a power outage during a cancer patient's surgery at an emergency ward of Rajendra Hospital, Patiala in January.

Medical Dialogues earlier reported that a video of a power outage during surgery at a Patiala government hospital in Punjab went viral on social media sparking controversy and drawing criticism from doctors. This also allowed the BJP to attack the AAP questioning its ''Delhi Health Model'' amid the Delhi Assembly Election, whereas the State Health Minister sought to downplay the incident.

In the video, a doctor was seen complaining about a power outage in the operation theatre of Rajendra Hospital during a surgery. The doctor is seen complaining that the emergency light was coming and going, and the ventilator went off. He asked who will be responsible if something goes wrong.

Following the incident, advocate Sunaina filed a public interest litigation (PIL), demanding strict measures to ensure that all government and semi-government hospitals in Punjab have reliable power supply, especially for critical areas such as emergency operation theatres. The plea also called for disciplinary action against the responsible authorities.

Taking note of another instance of an outage at the same hospital, the court stated, "Learned counsel for the State of Punjab is unable to satisfy us as to why this deficiency of automatic switch-over from the regular supply lines to the DG-Set was not available at the relevant point of time. Petitioner appearing in person has also submitted that recently again on 04.02.2025 another incident of power disruption took place."

In these modern times, it is of utmost importance that hospitals ought to have automatic switch-over from the normal electric supply line to DG-Set instantaneously, the Court added further.

The court has now directed the Chief Secretary of Punjab to file an affidavit addressing the issue. The affidavit must include details of other public establishments equipped with automatic switch-over systems and explain why hospitals are not similarly equipped. 

"The affidavit of the Chief Secretary of the State of Punjab is directed to be filed in this respect, which should also contain details of other public establishments which are equipped with automatic switch-over and why not the hospitals," noted the court.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 25, 2025.

To view the official order, click on the link below: