A grim picture of the state's health infrastructure emerged on Friday at the Government Doon Medical College Hospital, Uttarakhand's largest government medical facility. A massive power outage plunged the entire first floor of the OPD building into darkness for approximately an hour and a quarter, exposing severe lapses in the hospital's emergency preparedness.

The Incident

The crisis began at around 11:45 am, when a short circuit occurred near the General Surgery department on the first floor.

Cause: An MCB wire burnt out due to an alleged electrical overload, causing smoke to rise and triggering immediate panic among patients.

Impact: The power failure instantly shut down operations in the Surgery, Radiology, and Gynaecology departments, as well as the registration and billing counters.

Resolution: Electrical staff eventually replaced the burnt wire, and power was restored at around 1:15 pm.

Treatment By Mobile Torchlight

The situation became so dire that doctors in the Surgery department were forced to examine patients using the flashlights from their mobile phones.

Patient Suffering: Seriously ill patients were left waiting on stretchers in the dark corridors.

Administrative Chaos: At the billing and registration counters, staff struggled to handle files and receipts under the dim light of mobile phones.

Diagnostic Services Paralysed

Essential diagnostic services, including ultrasounds and X-rays, came to a complete halt.

Backlog: Over 50 patients waiting at the Radiology department were left stranded as machines shut down.

Consequences: As the crowd swelled and wait times increased, many patients were forced to leave the hospital without getting their tests done.

Public Outrage And Backup Failure

The incident has raised serious questions about why the backup generator system failed to kick in at such a critical facility.

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Patient Reaction: At the Gynaecology counter, frustrated women remarked sarcastically, "Madam! Have you created this darkness just for us today?" highlighting the system's inability to provide basic alternatives during an emergency.

Attendant Allegations: Family members of patients argued that the outage sends a clear message: patients must battle mismanagement before they can fight their illnesses.

Official Response

Medical Superintendent Dr RS Bisht attributed the incident to "excessive load" on the electrical system and stated that the issue has been rectified. However, patients and attendants dismissed this as a standard excuse to cover up negligence, demanding accountability for the lack of an alternative power system in sensitive departments.

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