Ara Sadar hospial faces voltage fluctuation, patients apprehensive

Kumar Rajiv Nayan

Ara :  Power is supplied in all the wards and Operation Theatre (OT)  of Ara Sadar Hospital without stabilizers as they are lying out of order for the past several months. On December 15, the Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Ara Sadar Hospital caught fire due to short circuit damaging costly instrument though the infants admitted there were rescued safely.

The Ara Sadar Hospital has three medical wards, three surgical wards, a maternity ward, a burn ward, a female ward and an emergency ward. Only 150 beds are available for the patients though it has capacity of 300 beds. None of the wards has voltage stabilizer and fire extinguisher apparatus except NICU and the power is supplied through rusted wire. Fire extinguisher and Fire Alarm system played important role in controlling the fire caused due to short circuit in the NICU on December 15 but other wards lacked the facility. The NICU is still not working properly after the fire.

The Ara Sadar Hospital also has an ICU, which was inaugurated by the then minister Ramdhani Singh on October 2, 2014, but at present it is closed. At least 52 posts of doctors have been sanctioned for the Sadar Hospital but at present only 36 doctors are in position.

The hospital lacks kitchen facility and the family members of patients have to cook on the verandah. The family members use small gas cylinder for cooking. Though the use of gas cylinders is prohibited in the hospital but it is being used with impunity.

Deputy Superintendent (DS), Ara Sadar Hospital, Dr Satish Kumar Sinha said that the hospital faces problem of voltage fluctuation  and a letter in this regard has been written to the official of the South Bihar Power Distribution Limited (SBPDL). He said power supply system at the hospital was being rectified and high power voltage stabilizers and Fire Alarm system will be installed in every ward at the earliest. The DS said that the hospital will very soon construct a kitchen for the family members of the patients and will check cooking on the verandah.