KAKINADA:Close on the heels of death of a patient due to shortage of ventilators at the Kakinada Government General Hospital, a short-circuit led to the burning of CPAP machine (Continuous positive airway pressure) in the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital, forcing panicked women to rush out of the gynaecology ward on Monday evening. The NICU is within the gynaecology ward.
Following the short-circuit, the ward was filled with smoke and the mothers of the newborns as well pregnant women ran out of the gynaecology ward in panic. The hospital electric staff rushed to the spot and, after checking the CPAP machine, cut off power supply. Soon after the incident, some parents of the newborns moved to private hospitals regardless of huge expenditure the move would involve. The angry mothers were seen arguing with the hospital staff demanding explanation for the scary incident.
The NICU ward has 10 beds equipped with baby warmers and CPAP machines while the gynaecology ward has 280 beds.
The hospital has been rocked by a series of short-circuits in the recent past. The hospital authorities have been suspecting the role of ‘unknown’ persons behind the short-circuits.