Raruan: In yet another case of medical apathy, doctors at Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital in Mayurbhanj are forced to treat patients under candle light and mobile flashlights – thanks to frequent power cuts at the hospital.
While the doctor treats the patients inside his dark cabin, the relatives and staff members can be seen standing near him holding candles and flashlights – a situation that has become regular in hospitals here due to frequent power cuts and low voltage.
Due to absence of a generator back-up system, doctors are forced to treat patients, including the critical ones, in a risky manner in the dark. Even as there have been constant demands for proper uninterrupted power supply and more staff members, there has been no response from the authorities concerned.
The reason behind the plight is lack of adequate and uninterrupted electricity supply to the hospital. “I attend to 180-200 patients daily. There is an acute power crisis here. When the patients come, I have to examine them, with or without electricity,” Dr Dakhina Ranjan Tudu said.
“Even if there is electricity, the available machines cannot be used due to low voltage. The machineries are being damaged as they are hardly put to use,” another doctor said.
Every day, as many as 200 patients visit the hospital, some in critical conditions. Even after running the risk of medical negligence due to unavailability of light, doctors have to attend the patients, putting their lives in risk. With increasing number of patients, the hospital is also facing shortage of doctors. Locals demanded the appointment of more doctors and staff in the hospital.
“It is necessary to draw the government’s attention to the hospital’s plight. The hospital needs transformers, emergency lights, power back-ups, more staffs and doctors,” a local said.
This isn’t just the case of Mayurbhanj DHH, but most hospitals are in this dangerous condition.
PNN
