Power outage forces Chattogram hospital to treat patients using mobile flashlights

Patients at a government hospital in Chattogram’s Chandanaish upazila were forced to receive treatment under mobile phone flashlights due to a prolonged power outage caused by severe load shedding and stormy weather.

Medical services at the 31-bed Dohazari Upazila Health Complex were severely disrupted on Tuesday (April 28) after a Kalbaishakhi storm and continuous power failures left the facility without electricity for hours.

Hospital authorities said the facility has no functional generator, while its inverter system is also out of order. As a result, the entire hospital goes dark whenever power is cut.

During the outage, doctors and staff used mobile phone torches to provide emergency care, including wound treatment, dressing, and basic diagnostic services in the emergency department and wards.

Patients and attendants expressed frustration, saying treatment has been repeatedly hampered due to frequent power disruptions and lack of backup systems.

A duty physician, Dr. Samia Islam, said medical staff had to continue services in near darkness using mobile phone lights throughout the day.

Chattogram Deputy Civil Surgeon Mohammad Touhidul Anwar said the matter of fuel and power shortages will be reported to higher authorities, adding that efforts are underway to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services.