Power cut paralyses DMCH as patients bear the brunt

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Patients at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) yesterday suffered severely due to power outage for over four hours in two phases.

Emergency patients bore the burnt of the situation as no pathological test was conducted during the period.

Hospital sources said the power supply remained suspended in the first phase for three and a half hours from 9:00am due to repairing work in the main electricity line of the hospital.

Though power supply was ensured in the emergency wards, operation theatres and intensive care units (ICUs) through generators, patients suffered badly as they could not have pathological tests like x-ray, ultrasonogram and CT-scan.

During the period, doctors could not admit some patients as they were unable examine them in the dark. Many nurses were seen administering medicines and injecting the patients by lighting candles.

A group of six to seven people were seen waiting in front of the x-ray room in emergency block to have their x-rays at around 10:45am.

Shahida Akter, 18, who came with her uncle from Mirpur with severe pain caused by appendicitis, was seen waiting for ultrasonogram.

Her uncle Kamal Hossain said, “We reached here at around 8:00am but could not have the ultrasonogram as the doctors concerned were not present at that time. When the doctors came, the power went off. We are incapable of having the test outside of the hospital.”

A technician at the radiology department wishing anonymity told The Daily Star there is no alternative arrangement to conduct test at the time of power outage.

Another official of Dhaka Electricity Supply Authority (Desa) said they had earlier informed the hospital authorities about the outage during repair of the electricity line.

After repairing, the power supply at the hospital was restored but went off again at around 2:08pm due to technical fault in the Ring Main Unit (RMU). The supply was restored at around 2:45pm.

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