Water leakage at Anantnag maternity hospital causes electric shocks, OT shutdown

Anantnag, Jan 9: The routine Emergency Operation Theatres (OTs) at the lone Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) in South Kashmir's Anantnag were temporarily shut down following a water tank leakage that caused disruptions and led to electric shocks, once again raising safety concerns about the facility.

Doctors at the hospital refused to work in the operating rooms after a colleague suffered an electric shock, allegedly caused by water seeping into the facility. They expressed concerns about the hospital's safety standards.

"The water leakage caused electric currents in the operating rooms of the Obstetrics and Gynecology section, posing a significant risk to the safety of doctors, paramedics, and patients, including expecting mothers and newborns," one of the medics said.

The closure disrupted critical services, leaving patients without access to routine and emergency surgical procedures for hours together. The leakage was later repaired, and operations resumed.

However, the medics expressed their frustration with the current state of the facility.

"The facility is unsafe in every way. It could collapse at any moment and is highly susceptible to fire incidents,"  medic said.

"How much longer are we expected to work under these hazardous conditions? It’s nothing more than a makeshift arrangement," another medic said.

"I feel the authorities are waiting for a tragedy to occur before deciding to relocate the facility," they said.

Deputy Medical Superintendent (MS) of MCCH, Dr Shahid, clarified that the emergency OT was only suspended briefly during the morning while the repairs were underway. "The emergency OT functioned smoothly throughout the night and resumed operations shortly after the repairs were completed," Dr. Shahid said. He said that by 4 pm nine major surgeries had been performed in the emergency OT.  "The laparoscopy routine OT, which was suspended for safety reasons, was reassessed in the afternoon and is expected to resume operations tomorrow," Deputy MS said. The MCCH is currently housed in an old, deteriorating building in the congested Sherbagh locality of the old town. The facility serves over 40,000 patients in its Outpatient Department (OPD) and about 7,000 indoor patients each month.

Declared unsafe by both the Public Works Department (PWD) and the Fire and Emergency Department over a decade ago, the building has significant cracks and remains at risk of collapse. It also lacks adequate fire safety mechanisms.

In the past, incidents such as electrical short circuits in the pediatric unit and ticket counter have raised alarms, though none escalated into major disasters. There has been growing demand for relocating the hospital to a safer facility.

A committee formed by Health Minister Sakeena Itoo in November last year was tasked with identifying an alternative location, but no final decision has been made yet.

Meanwhile, the Secretary of Health and Medical Education has already directed the PWD to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for constructing a new 200-bed Maternal and Child Care Hospital on the premises of the Government Medical College (GMC) Hospital Janglatmandi, Anantnag. However, until then, safety concerns at the current facility persist.