Power Outage Halts Surgery in Punjab’s Rajindra Hospital, AAP Government Issues Clarification

In a concerning incident that highlights infrastructural challenges in the healthcare system, an emergency surgery was temporarily halted due to a power outage at Punjab’s Rajindra Hospital in Patiala. The incident, which has sparked widespread criticism, was captured on video and has since gone viral on social media.

The video shows frustrated doctors grappling with the power failure during surgery. One of the doctors can be heard saying, “This is not the first time the electricity supply in the main emergency of the government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala has been erratic. If something happens to the patient, who will be responsible?”

The patient, who was on ventilator support, faced a critical situation when the power went off midway through the surgery. The video also captures the medical staff manually ventilating the intubated patient while trying to manage the situation. "The patient is on ventilator support, the surgery is ongoing, but there’s no electricity," the doctor adds, highlighting the urgency of the situation.

The video quickly became the center of a political controversy. Union Minister of State and BJP leader Ravneet Bittu criticized the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for the incident. Sharing the video on social media, he wrote, “The deteriorated condition of medical facilities as well as electricity—the two areas AAP promised to perfect—has come to light in this painful event.”

He further added, “A surgeon at Rajindra Hospital had to issue a disclaimer on camera, fearing a patient’s life might be at risk due to a power failure during surgery. Meanwhile, the Punjab CM and his ministers are busy in Delhi, trying to please their dictator Kejriwal. But at what cost?”

Punjab’s Health Minister, Dr. Balbir Singh, who is an eye surgeon himself, issued a statement clarifying that the power outage was caused by a “local fault” and that the hospital’s backup systems functioned as expected. He assured that the surgery was completed successfully and the patient was recovering.

“The power backup systems at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala are multi-level (three hotlines) and functioning without issue. Today, a local fault led to a momentary loss of electricity. The UPS and generator backup worked seamlessly, and the surgery was conducted without any problem. The patient is recovering well,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The minister also addressed the viral video, stating, “Unfortunately, a junior doctor panicked and recorded the video. Medical staff must remain focused on patient care at all times.”

The incident has brought to light the persistent infrastructural challenges in government hospitals, particularly in the healthcare and electricity sectors. Critics argue that such incidents undermine public trust in the healthcare system and call for urgent action to address these shortcomings.