SAMBALPUR: Cancer patients at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR), Burla were administered chemotherapy under mobile phone flashlight after a power cut that lasted for over three hours on Tuesday.
The incident came to fore on Thursday after videos of patients being treated in the dark went viral on social media.
Sources said on February 11, power supply to the building which houses the cancer ward, was disrupted at around 12 pm. Though many patients were waiting to avail chemotherapy treatment in the ward, the generator backup could not be put to use due to some issues. Eventually, the hospital staff were forced to administer chemotherapy to patients under mobile phone flashlights.
In darkness and without proper ventilation, the patients reportedly had a harrowing time until the power supply was restored after more than three hours.
VIMSAR superintendent Lal Mohan Nayak said, “Usually, when a department disconnects power supply for maintenance work, the hospital authorities are informed beforehand to check if any important procedure is scheduled on the day. But on Tuesday, information about the power outage did not reach us due to some miscommunication.”
Nayak further said as the alternative power supply line was not installed in the cancer ward building, the generator could not be used. An inquiry will be conducted into the matter and those found responsible for the lapses will face action.
“No other department was affected during the power outage. Had we been informed about the power cut, the incident could have been prevented,” he added.
After the incident sparked outrage, the TPWODL in a statement said it is not responsible for supply of electricity and maintenance work on VIMSAR premises. It is the responsibility of the General Electrical Division (GED) of the Public Works department. On Tuesday, GED requested a permission to work (PTW), leading to a power shutdown from 12 noon to 3.30 pm.
“It appears that GED did not properly communicate the planned shutdown to VIMSAR management, which may have contributed to the incident,” the statement read.