30-hour power outage at Jalandhar Civil Hospital forces shift of emergency patients
Jalandhar Civil Hospital
Jalandhar: Nearly half of the premises of Jalandhar Civil Hospital remained without electricity for more than 30 hours, forcing authorities to shift patients from the emergency ward to the trauma centre.
According to the news reports, the power supply was disrupted around 6 am on Monday after an underground electricity cable was reportedly damaged during ongoing sewage pipeline laying work inside the hospital premises. Although power was restored on Tuesday evening, patients had not yet been moved back to the emergency ward, said the hospital�??s medical superintendent, Dr Namita Ghai.
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Dr Ghai said the hospital had been witnessing similar power disruptions since June 23, when digging work for the sewage pipeline project began. Despite efforts by electricians from the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the Public Works Department (PWD), and private workers engaged by the hospital, the exact location of the fault could not be traced.
She added the situation turned grave on Monday morning. �??We managed to shift the critical patients from the emergency ward to the trauma centre, which has a power supply. We have now made some temporary arrangements by providing a temporary power supply to the emergency ward from another operational line,�?? she mentioned, reports Hindustan Times.
The issue has also been brought to the attention of senior officials of PSPCL and the PWD, with a request for urgent repairs.
According to the news reports, an attendant in the emergency ward said that her husband had been admitted following a leg injury and that the lack of electricity had caused severe inconvenience. She said there was no backup power available, making it extremely difficult for patients and attendants to remain inside the ward, especially during the heat.
Another patient�??s family member said that the prolonged outage had only added to their ordeal. They mentioned that they had come there hoping for proper treatment, but instead they had to spend hours without electricity and water. The situation had become very difficult to cope with due to the heat.
Former MLA Rajinder Beri, who visited the hospital after the incident, urged authorities to resolve the issue immediately to prevent inconvenience to patients and healthcare workers.
�??The Emergency ward is meant for serious patients where uninterrupted electricity is a necessity. It is shocking that patients and their attendants were left without power and even drinking water for hours. If the government cannot ensure basic infrastructure in the Civil Hospital, its claims of strengthening public healthcare ring hollow. There should have been an effective backup system to prevent such a crisis,�?? Beri said, reports The Tribune.
