Ara/Patna: A disturbing incident at the Koilwar Community Health Centre (CHC) in Bihar’s Bhojpur district has raised questions over the hospital’s emergency preparedness after an injured patient had to undergo stitching under the light of a mobile phone following a power failure on Monday.
The incident occurred around 5pm when electricity supply to the health centre was disrupted. According to people present at the hospital, the generator did not start immediately, leaving the emergency ward without adequate lighting.
The injured patient, who had suffered a knife cut near his thumb, was brought to the CHC for treatment. With the power supply unavailable, a hospital guard reportedly switched on a mobile phone torch while a healthcare worker stitched the wound.
Monu, a Koilwar resident who accompanied the injured patient, said the lack of lighting caused considerable distress among patients and their attendants.
“The hospital guard turned on a mobile phone torch. A healthcare worker stitched the wound in that light. Due to the lack of adequate lighting in the emergency ward, we—along with other patients and their families—were frustrated with the hospital’s management. The generator did not start even after the power cut.”
Other patients treated in darkness
Those present at the CHC said the disruption was not limited to the emergency ward. Two other admitted patients were reportedly being administered RL fluids in the dark while the power remained unavailable.
Ajay Singh, a relative of a female patient, said the electricity had been out since around 5pm and that patients had to continue their treatment without proper lighting because the generator had not been switched on.
He said patients and their families faced significant hardship during the outage, while the absence of an immediate backup arrangement at a facility providing emergency services led to resentment among those present.
Generator reportedly ran out of fuel
When media personnel arrived at the health centre to inquire about the situation, the generator reportedly remained switched off for around 35 minutes. It was subsequently refuelled and started, restoring electricity to the facility.
A hospital guard said the generator could not be started because it had run out of fuel.
“The generator had run out of fuel, so it could not be started.”
Hospital staff, however, were reportedly reluctant to give a detailed explanation about why the generator had not been operational when the power supply failed.
The incident has raised questions about the maintenance of the generator and whether adequate checks are being carried out to ensure that emergency backup power is available when required.
Locals allege repeated failures
Rakesh Sharma, a Koilwar resident who had accompanied a patient to the CHC, said the power had already been out for about half an hour when he arrived. He said he witnessed a young girl receiving stitches under the light of a mobile phone.
“Situations like this have occurred at the CHC before. The hospital manager and the person in charge were called multiple times, but there was no response to the complaints. After the power cut, it was revealed that the generator was out of fuel. Fuel was later brought and poured into the generator, allowing the hospital lights to come back on.”
Locals alleged that similar incidents have occurred in the past, claiming that the generator is not always started promptly after power failures. They said such delays can disrupt emergency treatment and other critical hospital services.
Allegations over generator logbook
A relative of a patient, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged possible collusion between the hospital management and the generator operator. The person claimed that the generator is sometimes not started promptly during power outages even though its operation is allegedly recorded in the hospital logbook.
The allegation could not be independently verified.
Questions over emergency preparedness
The incident has prompted concerns over the CHC’s emergency power arrangements. Procedures such as wound stitching require sufficient lighting, particularly in an emergency setting where delays or inadequate visibility can affect treatment.
Patients and their relatives have demanded that the CHC management establish a system to ensure that the backup generator is activated immediately whenever the main power supply fails.
They have also sought regular maintenance and adequate fuel availability so that emergency and other essential services at the health centre can continue without interruption.
