Power Outage Halts Diagnostic Services at Chittagong Medical College Hospital for Over Two Hours
Photo Collected
CHITTAGONG – Patients at Chittagong Medical College (CMC) Hospital faced significant disruptions on Saturday morning as a power outage halted critical diagnostic services for approximately two and a half hours. The interruption, which began at 8:45 a.m., affected essential operations including X-ray imaging and ultrasonography, before electricity was restored at 11:15 a.m.
Hospital officials reported that while backup generators were operational, they lacked the capacity to power the facility’s heavy diagnostic machinery. The outage led to long queues and extended wait times for patients seeking medical tests. According to Kazi Md. Alam, head of the Radiology and Imaging Department, the lack of electricity rendered the department’s six X-ray machines unusable. Furthermore, the absence of power disrupted the climate control systems required to operate ultrasound equipment.
The Power Development Board (PDB) had previously announced scheduled maintenance and cabling work for various feeders in the Stadium area, which includes the hospital premises. Shahidul Islam, executive engineer for the PDB’s sales and distribution division in the Stadium area, confirmed that the utility had issued prior notice regarding the planned service interruption.
The power supply was eventually restored ahead of schedule following direct communication between the hospital administration and the power department. Brigadier General Mohammad Taslim Uddin, director of CMC Hospital, stated that he contacted the power department to prioritize the restoration of electricity to mitigate patient suffering.
The power disruption also impacted administrative functions, including ticketing services and other electricity-dependent medical apparatus. Hospital authorities confirmed that they have formally requested the power department to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply to the facility moving forward to avoid future service lapses. Operations at the hospital returned to normal following the restoration of power.
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