Government Sivaganga Medical College Hospital plunged into darkness for more than two hours on Monday night after a cable fault led to power failure.
Patients, who were on ventilator support and those undergoing treatment at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), were safe as essential power supply was maintained through the UPS. Patients at the casualty and emergency sections were treated with the help of torches and mobile phones, hospital source said. After power went off at 5.30 p.m., Public Works Department supplied power through a generator for about two hours till Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) restored power supply at 7.30 p.m.
However, when the engineers tried to restore normal power supply after switching off the generator, a cable burnt, after which the restored power could not be supplied and the generator also could not be operated, they said.
Collector J. Jayakanthan rushed to the hospital and supervised the restoration work with Dean B. Chandrika. After alternative arrangements were made, power supply was restored around 9.30 p.m. The faulty cables were set right on Monday night itself, the Collector said.
As three patients, who were on ventilator support, died at Government Rajaji Hosptial (GRH) in Madurai recently, allegedly due to power failure, the Sivaganga hospital authorities spent anxious moments till power supply was restored.
Dr. Chandrika said the power failure caused inconvenience to patients but no untoward incident happened. Dressing at the casualty and emergency sections was done with the help of torches and mobile phones and no patient was referred to the GRH. No surgery was in progress at that time, she said.
