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Panchkula: 4-hour outage at civil hospital leads to chaos
The technical failure paralysed the hospital’s digital infrastructure, leaving hundreds of patients stranded for over four hours as they struggled to obtain OPD cards and access essential diagnostic services
Medical services at the civil hospital in Sector 6 were severely disrupted on Monday morning after the main server crashed, reportedly due to a short circuit triggered by the excessive use of room heaters.
The technical failure paralysed the hospital’s digital infrastructure, leaving hundreds of patients stranded for over four hours as they struggled to obtain OPD cards and access essential diagnostic services.
The trouble began around 9 am, coinciding with the peak morning rush. Hospital sources revealed that the heavy electrical load from heaters caused a short circuit that damaged the UPS batteries. Consequently, the main server—housed in the hospital basement—shut down, halting operations at registration counters, X-ray units, ultrasound rooms, and blood testing laboratories.
To manage the crisis, hospital authorities redirected the registration process to the mother and child care building. However, this sudden shift resulted in massive congestion and chaotic queues, with wait times stretching between three to five hours.
Dr RS Chauhan, the principal medical officer (PMO), attributed the incident to the continuous and improper use of heaters across various departments and wards. He noted that staff members often failed to switch off the devices after use, leading to overheating and the subsequent electrical failure. In response, Dr Chauhan has ordered the immediate removal of all non-essential heaters and mandated that they only be used where absolutely necessary.
With the hospital typically processing nearly 4,000 OPD cards daily, the shutdown caused a significant backlog, even forcing some frustrated patients to rush to the emergency department to obtain OPD cards.
Pooja, a resident of Pinjore, said that it took her four hours just to complete her registration. She only learned about the server failure after standing in a long queue at the main building and was eventually forced to go to the mother and child care unit to get her OPD card. Similarly, Vimal from Amravati was unable to undergo a scheduled ultrasound and a fasting blood test because the systems were down. Despite waiting for hours, he was told to return on Tuesday, causing significant inconvenience.
Other patients faced similar delays in treatment and medication. Neelum, a resident of Mauli Jagran who visited the hospital with a fever and stomach pain, said it took four hours just to see a doctor. While she managed to get a consultation, her blood tests could not be conducted due to the technical glitch, leaving her treatment incomplete. Meanwhile, Manju from Sector 19 highlighted the systemic issues at the facility, stating that it took her five hours to receive her prescribed medicines.
Second heater-linked mishap
Last month, a short circuit triggered panic among patients and medical staff at the civil hospital when a fire broke out in the delivery room complex. The blaze was sparked by an electric heater that had been left running for a prolonged period in a doctor’s room within the facility. At the time of the incident, approximately 30 women were inside the labor room complex. In the aftermath, hospital authorities claimed they were reviewing safety protocols regarding the use of electrical appliances in sensitive medical zones to prevent such a recurrence.
