Theft at Feni hospital substation disrupts power for 14 hours

A theft at the electrical substation of Feni General Hospital left its new building without a stable power supply for at least 14 hours, causing suffering among patients and their relatives, particularly in the intensive care unit (ICU), medicine, isolation and surgery wards.

Valuable components of a transformer and generator, along with copper wires, were stolen from the substation, hospital authorities said.

The hospital authorities filed a written complaint with Feni Model Police Station on Tuesday over the incident.

According to hospital officials, a group of thieves climbed over a rear boundary wall at around 3am on Monday night, removed a ventilation fan from the substation and entered the facility. They then dismantled and stole valuable parts of the transformer and generator, along with copper wires.

The theft came to light in the morning, prompting repair work.

A visit to the hospital found that the prolonged power disruption had raised concerns among patients and their relatives about medical services. The lack of electricity left lights, fans and air-conditioning systems in the wards inoperative, worsening patients’ discomfort in the intense heat. Monitoring critically ill patients, operating medical equipment, conducting tests and providing emergency services were also disrupted.

Nasrin Sultana, who had come to the hospital for an ultrasound examination, said there was no electricity in the laboratory from 8am to around 11am.

“On top of the heat, my test was delayed. I had to endure a lot of discomfort,” she said.

Maisha Akter, a patient receiving treatment in the medicine ward, said the power had been out since 2:30am.

“Patients suffered a lot. The entire hospital felt like a haunted house. I was frightened in the darkness, not knowing what might happen,” she said.

Habibur Rahman, the representative responsible for the hospital substation, said the thieves had removed valuable components from the transformer and large generator, as well as all the copper wires.

As a result, the transformer, valued at Tk 10 lakh, and the generator, worth around Tk 40 lakh, had become virtually unusable, he said.

He added that repair work began after hospital authorities informed him of the theft in the morning. One of the two power lines was restored around 11am, while the other was brought back into operation at around 5pm.

Hospital Ward Master Nurunnabi said a single night guard was assigned to security duties across the hospital at night. As the substation is located at the rear of the premises, the theft went unnoticed, he added.

Dr Roukon Ud Doula, resident medical officer of Feni General Hospital, said the authorities became aware of the power outage in the morning, although the electricity had gone off during the night. The prolonged disruption caused considerable suffering among patients.

He said the substation had been targeted by thieves before. Despite having a night guard on duty, another theft had occurred.

Following the incident, three Ansar members were deployed to guard the substation, he added.

Hospital Superintendent Dr Mobarak Hossain Dulal said all the copper wires had been stolen. He added that various items, including glass panels and bathroom taps, had also been stolen from hospital buildings in previous incidents.

He confirmed that a written complaint had been filed with the police.

Md Anisul Haque, sub-divisional engineer of the Feni Public Works Department, said the substation falls under the department’s jurisdiction but is used by the hospital authorities, who are responsible for its security.

He said the theft occurred due to inadequate guarding and that efforts were underway to assess the extent of the damage.

Additional Superintendent of Police Nishat Tabassum, who oversees the Sadar Circle, said the hospital authorities had filed a complaint and police were investigating the incident.

Police are working to identify the perpetrators and recover the stolen items, she added.