The functioning of the North Goa district hospital in Mapusa was severely affected for nearly four hours on Monday following a power failure caused by a short circuit in the low-tension (LT) electrical panel located near the diesel generator. Emergency repair teams worked diligently to restore electricity, and power was finally reinstated at approximately 8:30 pm.
Impact on Hospital Services
While the hospital's Intensive Care Unit (ICU) remained operational and unaffected by the outage, several other sections of the medical facility were plunged into darkness. Patients' relatives were compelled to manually carry patients due to the non-functioning of elevators, causing significant inconvenience and distress.
A nurse on duty described the challenging conditions: "By evening, the hospital plunged into darkness. The sweltering heat and humidity made things extremely difficult. Nonetheless, we managed to keep things going and ensured patient care continued as best as possible."
Precautionary Measures and Repairs
A senior hospital official explained that as a precautionary measure, authorities decided to disconnect power to the generator system to avoid any further risk. "We did not want to take any chances after the short circuit occurred near the generator set," the official stated.
Officials from the electricity department, the Public Works Department (PWD), and the hospital's maintenance team collaborated to rectify the fault and restore the power supply. The official further mentioned that a comprehensive maintenance check of the hospital's electrical infrastructure is scheduled for Sunday to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Political Reaction
Congress leader Amarnath Panjikar criticized the incident, calling it unacceptable that a major government hospital serving thousands of patients was left without power for hours. "A major power outage raises serious doubts about the emergency backup systems of the hospital. The government must conduct an inquiry to avoid any potential mishap," he asserted.
