Koraput: A purported video showing medical staff treating a patient under mobile phone light at the district headquarters hospital (DHH) in Jeypore has gone viral, triggering outrage over inadequate infrastructure.
The footage, which surfaced on Wednesday, shows healthcare workers administering saline to an elderly patient using mobile phone light during a power outage. The patient, in his seventies, was admitted Tuesday evening with complications from high blood pressure and diabetes.
"It's unfortunate that authorities can't ensure stable power supply at DHH, forcing staff to resort to mobile light for essential treatment," said Devendra Adhikari, a local activist. The incident follows recent disruptions to the hospital's dialysis services due to power cut.
Hospital manager Rupasi Nayak defended the healthcare facility's arrangements and said, "We have backup systems in place. The video was recorded during the brief interval before our generator could be activated."
However, activists claimed such power disruptions are frequent, compromising patient care and putting additional strain on healthcare workers. The incident has prompted calls for immediate infrastructure upgrade to ensure uninterrupted medical services. Community leaders have demanded a permanent solution to prevent similar incidents in the future.