Keonjhar: Constant power cuts, low voltage and absence of generator back-up system have been the bane of government hospitals across the state. After Mayurbhanj, doctors in Keonjhar district headquarters hospital (DHH) were forced to operate on a patient under the flashlights of cell phones on Saturday night.
According to sources, a woman was rescued by police near OMC rest house under Barbil police limits in the evening in a critical condition. She was immediately rushed to Barbil hospital and later shifted to the Keonjhar DHH as her deteriorated condition.
The hospital was facing load shedding at that time and it had no back-up system. Since the woman was critical, the doctors were left with no option but to immediately conduct the preliminary surgery under flashlights of cell phones.
Once her condition stabilized, she was shifted to the SCB College and Medical in Cuttack.
“The police brought a 20-year-old woman to the hospital in a critical condition. She had injuries on her neck affecting her windpipe. We conducted all the preliminary treatment here. She was then shifted to SCB in a 108 ambulance,” Dr AK Dey said.
On the other hand, doctors treating patients inside a dark cabin with relatives and staff members holding candles and flashlights in their hands have become a regular feature in Mayurbhanj. The doctors have been demanding constant power supply. Even when there is electricity, available machinery lay unused as the voltage remain low.
