Chandigarh blackout: Committee submits report on power outage at two hospitals

Tribune News Service

Dushyant Singh Pundir
Chandigarh, March 14

The committee constituted by the UT Administration to inquire into the circumstances that led to the power disruption at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, and Government Multi-Speciality Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, has submitted its report.

The committee, headed by the Health Secretary, along with the Medical Superintendents of the GMSH and the GMCH, and an Executive Engineer (Electrical), had been formed to scrutinise the lapses that led to the power failure in both hospitals during a three-day strike called by the UT Powermen Union from February 22.

On the intervening night of February 21 and 22, the GMCH faced power disruption from 12.15 am to 5.30 am, which risked the lives of 40 patients who were on ventilator during the spell of power outage.

Not only this, the lives of several pregnant women awaiting deliveries were also endangered at the GMSH as the electricity was disrupted twice from 5.45 am to 1 pm on February 22 and from 9.30 pm to 4.30 am on February 23. As many as 13 caesarean deliveries were carried out at the GMSH during the blackout with the help of generator sets. The hospitals were also forced to postpone all other surgeries and deny new admissions. As many as 25 surgeries were postponed at the GMCH and 14 at the GMSH during the period of strike.

Later, the UT Administration suspended two junior engineers (JEs), who were supervising the electricity supply of the GMCH and the GMSH till the investigation was on.

In protest against the privatisation of the Electricity Department, the UT Powermen Union had given a call for a three-day strike from February 22 to 24. After the employees went on a strike on the intervening night of February 21 and 22, most areas in the city plunged into darkness.

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