Polsara: In what has exposed the rickety healthcare infrastructure in the state, a woman had to deliver a baby under cellphone light and candles during a power outage at Polsara community health centre (CHC) in Ganjam district, Sunday evening.
Patients in other wards of the hospital were also provided treatment in a similar manner owing to lack of alternative arrangements like diesel generators or inverters at the CHC. Patients and their kin termed it as a regular affair in the hospital.
Meanwhile, a video of the incident has gone viral on various social media platforms.
Tension ran high at the hospital as the relatives of the woman who delivered the baby expressed anger against the hospital authorities over poor healthcare facility at the CHC.
“My aunt experienced labour pain at around 4pm following which we admitted her to Polsara CHC. The hospital lacks proper infrastructure and the situation worsened during the power cut when the baby was born,” said Tapaswini Sahu.
“The doctors and nurses switched on their cellphone lights while candles were lit as the CHC didn’t have a generator set or an inverter,” she added. They gave an injection to the woman and delivered a baby in the same condition. Even postnatal treatment of the newborn was done by using cellphone light.
The doctors also relied upon cellphone light and candles to treat patients in other wards of the hospital, said some patients and their kin.
Tapaswini and others have demanded early resolution of the problem and action against the negligent officials.
When contacted, Pragnya Prathama, a physician at the CHC, said that they do not have any option but to treat the patient under cellphone torch as the hospital does not have a generator.
