Blistering heat wave conditions along with unscheduled power cuts have disrupted normal life in whole of coastal Kenrapada district for a few days now. Patients in health centres are the worst sufferers. While the district headquarters town and village bazaars wore deserved look, daily labourers and pedestrians could not go outside to earn their living in these days.
Similarly, low voltage and undeclared power cuts for three to four hours have added to woes of the people. Patients at the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH), CHCs and PHCs are the worst sufferers as these health centres lack generators and invertors. Patients were seen witnessing scorching heat while waiting for hours in queue to get computerised tickets from the DHH counter.
“Sunstroke and burn injury patients suffer a lot during power cuts. Provision of an air conditioner in the special sunstroke ward is meaningless,” said attendants of sunstroke patients. Kendrapada CDMO Binayak Prusty said doctors are forced to treat sunstroke patients with ice packs. “As there is no alternative with us to get electricity during power cuts, the hospital authorities have asked doctors to treat sunstroke patients with ice packs,” Prusti said.
He informed that the DHH has no sufficient invertors for its different wards. The hospital has only one generator which has been lying defunct for many days as its parts are not now available in the market now. “A tender has been floated for installation of a new generator in the hospital premises but it is yet to be installed. So, we have to work with the limited resources available with us,” Prusty added. He said he has already brought the electricity problem to the notice of the district Collector and the concerned authorities. The problems are yet to be sorted out, he said.