BENGALURU: The sudden failure of the central air conditioning system at PMSSY Super Specialty Hospital of Bengaluru Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) led to a postponement of elective surgeries, as the hospital was unable to maintain the required cooling conditions for these procedures.
Hospital authorities said the issue arose due to unexpected voltage fluctuations 4-5 days ago, affecting the air conditioning system. As a result, elective surgeries at the hospital were delayed by 3 to 4 days. However, BMCRI clarified that emergency, semi-emergency, and interventional surgeries have not been impacted and are continuing as scheduled.
BMCRI operates five hospitals in Bengaluru -- Victoria Hospital (1000 beds), Vani Vilas Hospital (500 beds), Minto Hospital (300 beds), PMSSY Super Specialty Hospital (200 beds), and Trauma and Emergency Care Centre (200 beds). Of these, PMSSY Super Specialty Hospital is the only hospital with a centrally air-conditioned system.
Dr Divyaprakash, special officer of the hospital, said the technical failure affected the hospital’s cooling system, leading to a disruption in its ability to maintain necessary conditions for elective surgeries.
He further clarified that critical surgeries are being performed without any disruption, and patient care is being maintained according to established protocols.
“The hospital’s technical team is actively working to resolve the issue, and we are expecting the air conditioning system to be fully restored shortly. Once the system is operational again, elective surgeries will proceed as scheduled, with minimal further delay,” he said.
BMCRI, in their statement, reassured the public that measures are being implemented to prevent similar issues in future. “The hospital administration is closely coordinating with service providers and technical teams to ensure that such technical problems do not occur again,” BMCRI said, and clarified that there have been no issues at any of the other hospitals under its administration.