Unpaid electricity bills: Power cut at DHQ Hospital Hangu

HANGU: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) on Saturday cut off power supply to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Hangu over unpaid electricity bills.

However, the management of the DHQ hospital maintained that it regularly paid the electricity bill.

This move triggered a controversy and a volley of claims and counterclaims from both sides.

Dr Haleem Rehman, Medical Superintendent (MS) of DHQ Hospital, while talking to the media condemned Pesco for its action.

He maintained that Pesco disconnected the electricity without any prior notice despite the fact that the hospital regularly paid its bills.

Dr Rehman pointed out that many emergency patients were being treated at the hospital when the power supply was cut, adding that the power suspension jeopardized patient care. He maintained that due to the sudden power outage, doctors were forced to treat patients using mobile phone flashlights at night. “We requested Pesco officials to restore the power supply but they did not listen to us,” he added. He said the hospital had polio and other vaccines, which were at risk of being spoiled due to the power outage.

The MS raised concerns over the illegal electricity supply to the nearby police lines from the hospital’s power line. He suggested that the police lines’ electricity connection should be removed, as it was contributing to the hospital’s mounting power bill.

In response, SDO Pesco, Mehtab Khan, refuted the MS’s claims, stating that the hospital had three months of outstanding bills. He mentioned that the power cut was enforced due to non-payment and a lack of a concrete response from the hospital. However, he said that the power supply to the hospital had been restored for the time being.

Meanwhile, the DSP of the Police Lines, Amjad Hussain, clarified that the police station had two separate electricity meters and had cleared a bill of over Rs24 lakh in March. He said that the police lines’ electricity usage was not affecting the hospital’s billing.