A total blackout at the Mawkyrwat Civil Hospital in South West Khasi Hills has put the lives of patients at risk with no generators even as the inverter has run out of batteries, due to continuous use for two days now.
“We had switched on the inverter for two days and two nights now the batteries have exhausted. There’s a complete outage so how can we treat the patients?” medical staff questioned.
Last night medical staff had to work with flashlights and candles.
Till filing of this report the hospital, which was inaugurated in 2022 and seen as a boon for the district, is now under miserable situation as patients and their attendants have to negotiate through the darkness.
The Khasi Students Union (KSU) today met with the Medical Superintendent and expressed concern over the problems being faced by patients and the staff at the hospital.
KSU district sports secretary, Pauldeep Tongwah told reporters that electricity is the basic requirement for the functioning of any health facility. He said a hospital is an important institution and authorities should see that its services in delivering clinical care should not be hampered.
Tongwah said the union since April 26, 2023 had met with Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and sought her intervention in procuring a generator for the hospital to meet emergencies that arises. However, nothing has been done so far.
Power disruption in the district has been attributed to snapped power lines due to incessant rain and gusty winds caused by cyclone Remal.
But residents felt that authorities should ensure that essential institutions such as a hospital should run on uninterrupted supply of power.
