Patiala, July 21 -- Days after a power outage at the Gidderbaha civil hospital in Muktsar district exposed serious lapses in emergency power backup during an orthopaedic surgery, the Punjab health department has ordered an inspection of diesel generator (DG) sets installed in all government hospitals across the state. The decision comes after a July 12 incident when hospital staff had to use the battery from a patient's attendant's car to start the backup DG set when the power supply failed in the middle of a surgical procedure, raising concerns over the reliability of emergency systems in public healthcare institutions. In a communication (seen by HT) issued to all civil surgeons on July 16, the directorate of health and family welfare described repeated incidents of power failures in hospitals as "a matter of serious concern" and directed officials to take immediate corrective measures. The department has instructed civil surgeons to circulate the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for checking the functioning of DG sets, ensure strict adherence to the guidelines during inspections and submit compliance reports within seven days. According to the directive, hospitals have been asked to carry out regular monitoring and maintenance of DG sets to ensure uninterrupted power supply during emergencies. They have also been directed to maintain proper logbooks documenting periodic inspections, testing, servicing and operational status of the generators. The compliance reports will be submitted to the superintending engineer of the Punjab Health Systems Corporation (PHSC). The state government has also expanded the scope of the exercise beyond generator maintenance. In a separate order, the Punjab Health Systems Corporation has constituted inspection committees comprising the deputy medical commissioner, medical superintendent or senior medical officer and the sub-divisional engineer to assess infrastructure gaps in government hospitals. The committees have been tasked with reviewing the availability and condition of power backup through DG sets, uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems for critical areas, electrical wiring, water supply, medical gas pipeline systems, fire safety mechanisms and other essential infrastructure. They have also been directed to prepare detailed estimates for repairs and upgrades within seven days for further action. The inspection and compliance drive will cover district hospitals, sub-divisional hospitals and community health centres in state, with the aim of preventing similar incidents that could jeopardise patient safety during medical emergencies. Confirming the development, a senior health official, requesting anonymity, said: "It is unfortunate that incidents of power failure are still being reported. This is a matter of serious concern and needs immediate corrective action. We haveasked civil surgeons to ensure regular monitoring and maintenance of DG sets installed in hospitals so that uninterrupted power supply is available during emergencies."...