Torch lights had to be used in operating theatres, says QEH1 worker

 

One of the generator sets provided by Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd to supply power at QEH1 last night. (Sabah health department pic)

KOTA KINABALU: Medical staff at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 (QEH1) were in “panic mode” attending to their patients through a power outage yesterday.

A QEH1 worker, who asked not to be named, said the staff members were caught off guard as it was the first time a blackout had occurred at QEH1 since its new twin towers were commissioned for use in 2014.

“It was pitch black in the operating theatres (OTs) until we bought torch lights,” the staff member told FMT today.

“The medical staff had to use flashlights in the OTs as well as the intensive care unit (ICU). But the wards were not so bad because they had light from the windows.

“However, the staff were in panic mode and confused when the power outage took place.”

Yesterday, Sabah health director Dr Rose Nani Mudin said QEH1 was forced to transfer patients to QEH2 following the blackout in the morning. She also said patients who had to undergo surgery were transferred to QEH2.

Rose said the 11.54am power cut affected the hospital’s twin towers, the specialist clinics and the old medical wing.

Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) also helped with two sets of backup generators to supply power to the affected parts of the hospital, she said.

Medical staff had to buy torch lights following the power outage at QEH1. (Sabah health department pic)

Rose said the OTs would be closed for two days to ensure sufficient and stable power could be supplied to all wards and the ICU.

The QEH1 worker who spoke to FMT said the hospital’s two generator sets broke down not long after they were triggered by the outage.

“Every medical equipment was running on back-up batteries. Many of the doctors and nurses had to be on standby to make sure that ventilators were running and keep alert to take over with manual bagging.

“Power was only restored at about 7pm in some parts of the hospital.”

A patient who only wished to known as Konduwot said he and a few others had to endure the heat because their ward’s air-conditioner and fans were not working.

He said he had just completed a surgery at QEH1 on Monday and was warded for further observation.

“It was terrible in the ward with all that heat. Fortunately, it rained a bit last night, so it was cooler,” he said.

He said the ward was also not completely lit at night as the hospital had to use battery-powered lamps.

“A doctor told me all surgeries have been put on hold. But some patients who were being operated on when the outage occurred had to be sewn back up. Thank goodness my procedure was done earlier,” Konduwot said.

Former Sabah minister Junz Wong said luckily no lives were lost because of the power outage.

“This is totally ridiculous as this is right in the city, not somewhere in a kampung. We are moving into a Third World condition, yet we are living in a developing country,” he told FMT.

The Warisan vice-president said many areas in the state capital, including Sembulan, where QEH1 is located, had been facing consistent power outages of late.

He said he had received numerous complaints from people who have suffered losses after their electrical appliances were damaged due to the start-stop power supply situation.

“I have brought up the issue of power outages and water cuts in the state assembly many times. The government must look seriously into rectifying the problem,” he said. - FMT