Internal wiring to blame: PSPCL

JALANDHAR: Denying reports that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had disconnected the hotline at the Civil Hospital for the past one year, Parminder Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer, Operation Circulation, PSPCL, today said that instead the fault lies at the end of the hospital as it had failed to check the internal wiring in the building.

Jalandhar, July 22

Denying reports that Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had disconnected the hotline at the Civil Hospital for the past one year, Parminder Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer, Operation Circulation, PSPCL, today said that instead the fault lies at the end of the hospital as it had failed to check the internal wiring in the building.

Singh said, “The hospital has been getting independent power supply flawlessly from the hotline.” Each time there were reports that patients and doctors were suffering due to disrupted power supply, it was stated that the PSPCL had disconnected the hotline. But the fact is that with no concrete step taken by the hospital authorities to solve the problem, the patients had been bearing it for the past one year. The issue had even been taken to the District Commissioner (DC) Varinder K Sharma, who instructed the authorities to solve the problem at the earliest.

The DC said he had instructed the authorities to consult an engineer and solve the problem at the earliest as patients should not face any problem due to power supply.

The fluctuation in power supply on the hospital premises not only poses inconvenience to patients and doctors, it also disturbs the functioning of the OTs, maternity ward, trauma centre and burns ward.

The recent six-hour cut this Monday made people go through a lot of sufferings. Many complained that the hospital management had failed to make alternative arrangements for providing power to the patients who were critical. The sweltering heat also worsened the condition of the wounds of the patients who had undergone surgery.

Attendants in wards were using hand fans to beat the heat. “The government claims to provide the facilities, but people get nothing at the ground level,” said a woman attendant at the trauma ward.

Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr KS Bawa said, “Due to the intervention of the DC in the issue, the XEN Inderjit Singh had visited the hospital and made a check of our records and electricity room. The fault had been recognised and the work is in progress. Uninterrupted power supply and all facilities to the patients will be ensured.”