HAVELI, KAHUTA: Patients have been suffering due to the unscheduled load-shedding and low-voltage power supply in Haveli of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).
The low voltage and persistent load-shedding has led to inconvenience for not only the residents but also for the patients coming to the hospitals. Doctors and paramedics, especially in the emergency and OPD wards of the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) here, have been facing difficulty in extending medical services to the patients.
Haveli hospitals
Power outages have rendered hospital laboratories and Ex-ray rooms almost dysfunctional. The lab staff is unable to perform tests without electricity and the patients remain at the receiving end.
Situation in the Children ward of the DHQ Hospital is the same. Paramedics are unable to treat children through nebulizers.
When contacted, the officials said that the fault lies in the distribution system at Kahuta. They said that electricity is supplied to the DHQ Hospital from Chanjal Project for four days to run the lab and Ex-ray laboratory. “For rest of the three days, low-voltage electricity is supplied from Hajeera which may cause loss to expensive medical equipment.”
Absence of basic facilities in the medical wards, like uninterrupted power supply is one of the key problems to be blamed for deaths. A power outage in a hospital can pose a significant risk to patients, as it disrupts life-support systems, potentially leading to complications in patient care. Hospitals typically have backup power systems in place to mitigate these risks during outages. Extended power disruptions can endanger patients’ safety due to the reliance on electricity for essential medical functions.
On the other hand, traders and business community have also expressed concern over the low voltage. The residents and traders have urged the authorities concerned to ensure that they get uninterrupted power supply.
The healthcare delivery system in Azad Jammu and Kashmir is comprised of Basic Health Units, Rural Healthcare Centers, Tehsil Headquarters Hospitals, and District Headquarters Hospitals.
