Several patients were left in the dark on Saturday after a major power outage struck Chennai's Kalaignar Centenary Super Speciality Hospital. As many as 419 patients were affected as the power supply remained disrupted for almost two hours.
The disruption took place after an electrical fire damaged the main power line and the backup generator cable, reported India Today.
However, the 15 patients on ventilator support in the critical care units remained unaffected as they operated on a separate power line.
Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Supriya Sahu rushed to the hospital along with senior officials to ensure the safety of the patients and oversaw the recovery efforts.
The Health Secretary assured the patients and their families saying there was no cause of concern. “We have visited every ward and assured everyone that power will be restored soon,” Sahu said. She also directed officials to do a safety audit to prevent such incidents.
The cause of the electric fire is yet to be ascertained.
ALSO READ | Chennai: Patient Dies At Kalaignar Centenary Hospital, Kin Protest Alleging 'Medical Negligence'
The Public Works Department, which maintains the building, deployed personnel to replace the damaged cables and Sahu said the power would be restored as soon as the cables would be replaced.
While the hospitals are powered from two feeders, alternative supply could not be provided since the cables between the last transformer and the building were burned, an official from Tangedco said, reported the Times of India.
"Had the fire occurred at the transformer end, supply would have continued from the alternative source. But we are also at the spot to restore supply as soon as cables are replaced," the official added.
The hospital had recently made headlines after a senior a patient's attendant stabbed a senior hospital staff member after the death of the patient. The relatives of the patient blamed the doctors for not doing enough to save him.