Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has strongly condemned the January 24 power failure at Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, calling it “shocking” and demanding a report from the Punjab Chief Secretary regarding hospitals equipped with automatic power backup systems.
Court’s Observations
- The court noted that even a few seconds of power disruption in hospitals can be fatal for critical patients, especially those on life support.
- In this case, the power outage lasted 13 minutes—from 11:44 AM to 11:57 AM—while the manual backup took two minutes to start.
- The court emphasized that modern hospitals must have automatic switch-over systems to prevent delays in restoring power.
State Administration’s Response
- The administration admitted that no automatic switch-over system was available at the hospital.
- The DG-set (backup generator) had to be started manually, causing a delay.
- The state’s legal counsel failed to justify the absence of an automatic backup system.
New PIL Highlights Repeated Power Failures
- Petitioner Advocate Sunaina cited another power disruption on February 4, raising serious concerns.
- The PIL demands strict measures to ensure all government hospitals in Punjab have reliable power backup, especially in emergency operation theatres.
- The petition also calls for disciplinary action against those responsible for the hospital’s failure to maintain power standards.
Court’s Directions
- The Punjab Chief Secretary must file a report listing public establishments with automatic power backup and explain why hospitals lack this system.
- The next hearing is scheduled for February 25.
The case has gained public attention, especially after a video surfaced online, showing a doctor expressing grave concerns over frequent power failures and patient safety.
