Peak hour power outages holding Spencer Eye Hospital hostage

On top of a crippling lack of funds, three daily two-hour power outages during peak working hours have added to the sufferings of patients and doctors at Karachi’s historic Spencer Eye Hospital, The News has learnt. 

Mired in complaints and court cases for carrying out extensive load-shedding, the city’s power utility seems to have not even spared public sector hospitals from its routine power outage schedule.

“K-Electric’s first spell of load-shedding begins at 9:30am when there are hundreds of patients present at the hospital’s OPDs. On many occasions, we have had to use battery-powered torches and emergency lights to examine patients and prescribe them medicines,” observed medical superintendent of the eye hospital, Dr Birbal Genani.

The second power cut begins at 1:00pm and lasts till 3:00pm, while the third and last power outage is carried out in the evening.

Established in 1940, the Spencer Eye Hospital earned a name among reputed health institutions for free of charge treatment of eye ailments. News of the hospital’s excellent medical services soon crossed borders and it started receiving corneal donations and other medical equipment.

Located in Baghdadi, Lyari – one of the city’s most volatile vicinity -, Dr Genani stated that the hospital first lost a number of its patients to violent gang wars and an overall poor law and order situation of the area. However, after nominal peace was restored after the 2013 operation, patients and doctors returned, but this time only to be plagued by frequent power outages, he complained.

Alhtough equipped with a diesel-operated generator, the poor financial condition of the Karachi Metropolitan Karachi (KMC) - that runs the eye hospital among many others - fuel supply to the hospital often remains inadequate.

“We are supposed to get 800 litres of diesel a month to run our generator but the hospital receives only 450 litres. The irony, however, is that even this quantity is not provided regularly,” Dr Genani added.

Around 15 to 25 eye surgeries are performed at the Spencer Eye Hospital in a day, depending upon the number of patients visiting the hospital. Most of the patients have to be addmitted at the hospital for a couple of days, both before and after the surgery.

“Patients are required to spend a few hours in an air-conditioned room after an eye surgery, but we can unfortunately not provide them with this necessary ‘luxury’,” the medical superintendent further added.

Criticising the power utility for carrying out load-shedding at a public hospital which provides free services to patients of low-income groups, Dr Birbal demanded of the KE to provide uninterrupted power supply to the health facility.

A spokesperson for the KE, on the other hand, claimed that some of the major hospitals including Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) were not only exempted from load-shedding but in case of any breakdown, their power is restored on a priority basis to facilitate the patients.

She, however, excused herself from commenting on the load shedding being carried out at other public hospitals, stating that she would first have to acquire the actual status of power supply to each of the hospitals, including Spencer.