Mobile phones light up Chamarajanagar district hospital during power cuts

MYSURU: Wards in Chamarajanagar district hospital are being lighted with mobile phones every time there has been a power cut over the last couple of days, a video which has gone viral shows. The video was recorded by a patient and it also shows patients in the men’s ward have to make do with cardboard instead of mattresses.
The district hospital is a lifeline for hundreds of patients especially from poor sections of society. District health department officials say they are helpless since the diesel generator is in disrepair.

The video shows paramedical staff attending to patients with the aid of the torch function on their mobile phones in the old building of the hospital, which is located in the heart of Chamarajanagar city.

“The number of tribals and people of the SC and ST community is high in the district,” said a patient. “Due to poor infrastructure, there are no big hospitals in the district. The district hospital is a lifeline. It is really sad that the district hospital is still facing these kinds of problems.”

District surgeon Dr Raghuram admitted he is aware of the problems, but suggested there is little he can do about it.

“The diesel generator has been out of order for a few days now,” Raghuram said. “Spare parts are available only in Pune so there has been a delay in getting it repaired. Presently it is switched on and off manually. We have deputed a person to switch on the generator wherever there is a power cut. He may take five to 10 minutes to start the generator. During that time, mobiles are used.”

As for people having to sleep on cardboard, he said: "There is no dormitory for those who stay in the hospital along with patients. Ours is a 300-bed hospital. A proposal to build a dormitory at an estimated cost of Rs 1.2 crore is pending approval. Once the new hospital building is ready, all these problems will get resolved.”

He went on to suggest that doctors and staff are doing their best under the circumstances.

“At around 12.45 am on Wednesday, a pregnant woman was referred from Yelandur,” he said. “Our surgeons performed a caesarean operation. But there was no bed to keep the mother and the new born. I got a call at 1am seeking advice. Finally, we decided to provide a bed at the cardio care unit. This is the situation. The daily footfall at the hospital is around 1,400 patients. Once the new building is ready, we won’t have these problems.”