Doctor examines a patient under the light of a mobile flashlight
A hospital in the Uttar Pradesh district was plunged into darkness on Saturday, but doctors then examined patients under portable torchlights and video projection.
The hospital in Balia district suffered a power cut after yesterday’s heavy rain and the patients, reportedly, were being treated under portable torchlights for more than an hour.
Several people were seen jostling a woman on a stretcher, while one held up a mobile phone to shine a light as the doctor examined her, one of the videos showed.
In other images, the patient is seen sitting in the dark.
Dr RD Ram, orthopedic surgeon and chief of staff at the district hospital, said: “There was a disturbance for 15-20 minutes when we took the batteries for the generator.
He insists that the hospital has a generator as a backup, but getting the batteries takes time.
When asked why generators don’t have batteries, he said, “There’s always a fear of the batteries being stolen. So they’re discarded.”
There has been no comment from the state government on the case yet.
