Odisha: Power crisis forces doctors to treat patients in torch light
Acute power crisis in Odisha's Mayurbhanj has forced doctors to treat patients using candles and flashlights, risking the lives of many.
"I see 180-200 patients daily. There is an acute power crisis. When patients come, I have to see them, with or without electricity," Dr Dhakhina Ranjan Tudu of Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital told ANI on Monday.
According to ANI, the authorities have turned a deaf ear to the plight of the hospital, despite the dire need of electricity to dispense proper medical care. The hospital, despite its impoverished condition, continues to function without a transformer, the agency said in its report.
Every day, as many as 200 patients visit the hospital, some even in critical conditions, for treatment, even after running the risk of medical negligence due to unavailability of proper light.
Owing to the rampant shortage of power, doctors are seen examining and treating patients using flashlights on their mobile phones, as well as candles. This has forced them to appeal to the authorities to deploy adequate power backup in the hospital.
