PUDUCHERRY: Three patients undergoing dialysis at Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute here died on Thursday allegedly due to a power cut in the hospital.
While Sushil, 75, and Amsa, 58, died instantaneously, Ganeshan, 55, died minutes after taken into the ICU. The hospital is run by the Union territory administration and all the three patients hailed from Puducherry.
The duty doctor in charge of the shift, four nurses and a technician have been suspended.
The patients were undergoing dialysis, a routine procedure for patients with renal problems, when the power went out at around 11 am.
While minister for health and family welfare Malladi Krishna Rao, who visited the hospital, said the power failure was the reason behind the deaths, none of the officials gave a clear reason behind the incident.
The bodies would be sent to JIPMER, a central government-run hospital, for autopsy. Meanwhile, Rao announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.