Patients suffer as power cut hits CMCH

A two-and-a-half-hour power outage has disrupted tests and other services at Chattogram Medical College Hospital *CMCH), causing considerable hardship for patients and their relatives.

Electricity supply to the hospital was cut from around 8:45am to 11:15am on Saturday for what the Power Development Board said was emergency repair work.

The outage put various pieces of medical equipment out of service, disrupted operations at ticket counters and prevented some urgent tests from being carried out.

Generators were used to keep some hospital services running.

Abdul Mannan, a relative of a patient, said he was unable to get an X-ray or ultrasonography done during the outage.

“This is the largest government hospital in Chattogram. How can it remain without electricity for two to two and a half hours?” he said.

“Patients are becoming even more unwell in the heat.”

Hospital Director Brig Gen Mohammed Taslim Uddin said the disruption stemmed from an issue with the power department and that hospital authorities contacted officials after seeing the difficulties patients were facing.

Electricity was subsequently restored, he said.

Md Akbar Hossain, assistant director for public relations at the Power Development Board, said the shutdown was necessary for emergency repairs and that advance notice had been issued. 

The repair work had been expected to keep power off until 1pm, but supply to the hospital area was restored around 11:15am.-bdnews24