SAMBALPUR: Residents of Bargarh town are enraged after a six-hour power outage at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) on Sunday left patients panicked and frustrated.
The outage, which began around 2.30 pm, disrupted essential medical services, and the hospital’s generator also failed, plunging the facility into darkness for hours.
Tikeswar Meher, whose wife was admitted for delivery said, “I arrived at 3.30 pm when the power was already out, and it wasn’t restored until 8.30 pm. Patients were panicking as it got darker.” Even staff used mobile flashlights to navigate, he said.
Sudhir Mahanand, another patient, added, “During the outage, water supply stopped, and toilets became unusable. Many suffered until power was restored.” However, hospital manager Prasanna Rout claimed the outage started at 6.45 pm and that inverter backups partially lit the wards. He said, “No major procedures were underway, and patient care was not affected.”
Neither the CDMO, Nirupama Sarangi, nor Bargarh MLA, Ashwini Sarangi, could be reached for comment.