A nearly three-hour power outage at Jaipur’s Janana Hospital on Thursday disrupted surgeries, blood bank operations and several other essential services, forcing hospital authorities to postpone procedures and prioritise backup electricity for critical care units.

The outage, reportedly triggered by a short circuit, affected routine operations at the 550-bed government hospital in Chandpole Bazar. While emergency services continued through alternative arrangements, patients and attendants reported delays in scheduled surgeries and diagnostic services.

Surgeries and Essential Services Affected

The disruption led to the postponement of a scheduled Caesarean section, while critical patients undergoing treatment were shifted to another operation theatre. Blood bank services, including blood sample processing and test reporting, were also interrupted during the outage.

Laboratory services, the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and ventilator rooms were among the facilities affected. Hospital authorities said emergency care was maintained by diverting available backup power to essential departments.

Hospital Prioritised Critical Units

Hospital Superintendent Dr Nupur Loria said one fully functional operation theatre remained operational throughout the outage as it had a dedicated power supply and backup system.

“We have one fully functional OT with a dedicated power line and backup system; it was set up this way from the start, so it remains operational during such issues… Power went out between 10:30 am and 10:45 am. It had come back briefly but cut out again due to fluctuations that sometimes happen while switching to the generator,” she said.

Dr Loria said the hospital’s generator could not support the entire 550-bed facility, making it necessary to prioritise power supply to critical departments.

“The generator cannot handle the load of the entire 550-bed hospital; therefore, we prioritised the most critical areas for backup power — the nursery, labour room, OT, NICU and blood bank. These are the vital points secured with backup support… As soon as the power went out and it became clear that the repair would take a long time, action was taken,” she said.

On the cause of the disruption, Dr Loria said officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) would provide the exact details after their assessment.

Measures Planned to Prevent Future Disruptions

Dr Loria said the hospital had already initiated measures to strengthen its power infrastructure and prevent similar incidents in the future.

“For the new building currently under construction, backup arrangements have been secured from three different sources. We have also laid a new power line here. Previously, our load capacity was 650 kVA, and while paperwork to increase it to 900 kVA was already underway, we have now directly raised the capacity to 1,500 kVA to ensure this issue does not happen again,” she said.

Patients Report Delays

Patients and their attendants said surgeries were delayed because of the prolonged power outage.

Meenu Sain, whose Caesarean section had been scheduled, said, “It hasn’t happened because there is no power. Others were being operated on first, and then the power went out.”

Asked how long the outage had lasted, she replied, “It’s been two hours.”

Najma, whose daughter was awaiting surgery, said, “My daughter’s operation was scheduled. The power has been out for two hours. Her turn hadn’t come yet. Someone else’s operation was ongoing. She was waiting, and then the power went out. Now they’ve taken her downstairs.”

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