Power cut at hospital over unpaid bills leaves respiratory patients in distress
Ahidullah Mia, 65, a resident of Kuliarchar upazila, was admitted to Bhairab Upazila Health Complex in Kishoreganj with breathing difficulties.
He requires nebulisation multiple times a day.
His condition began to worsen on Tuesday morning, and after admission, he repeatedly urged the nurses for a nebuliser. But nothing was done.
At one point, he started running around the hospital in search of one. However, the nurses were helpless due to a power outage. Without electricity, it was not possible to operate essential medical equipment.
It wasn’t just Ahidullah—many other patients in need were also unable to receive nebuliser support. Power was restored after four hours, and only then could regular hospital services resume.
Speaking to Prothom Alo, Ahidullah said, “I couldn’t breathe. It felt like I was about to die. Only Allah knows what might have happened if it had been delayed any longer.”
Hospital senior staff Tarzia Akhter said, “In particular the patients with breathing difficulties were suffering the most. They were in panic. But we had nothing to do. I felt so helpless at the time.”
It has been learned that the hospital owes Tk 4.1 million in unpaid bills to the residential power distribution department.
Despite repeated reminders, the dues were not cleared, leading to the disconnection of the power supply around 9:00 am today.
Due to the outage, not only nebuliser support but also oxygen supply, vaccine storage, and pathology lab operations came to a halt. As a result, many patients were unable to receive the care they needed.
Later, following a request from senior officials of the health department and a written commitment from the hospital authorities to settle the dues promptly, the power supply was restored around 1:00 pm.
According to hospital authorities, although Bhairab Upazila Health Complex is officially listed as a 100-bed facility, it receives government support equivalent to only about 50 beds. This results in both a higher patient load and relatively greater electricity consumption.
On top of that, there is a 20-bed trauma centre on the premises which, despite being non-operational, continues to consume electricity. Of the Tk 4.1 million in outstanding dues, Tk 2.3 million is owed by the health complex and Tk 1.8 million by the trauma centre. Since there is no separate budget for the trauma centre, the health complex has to cover its electricity bills as well.
The authorities have previously cleared Tk 1.4 million in two instalments.
A visit to the male and female wards of the hospital revealed that most patients were sitting on their beds, while many of their relatives were fanning them by hand.
Hanif Mia, a respiratory patient admitted to the male ward, said, “How can anyone stay amid this scorching heat without a fan? The bed is soaked with sweat. I was thinking of just going back home.”
Altu Ali, a patient on the adjacent bed, added, “I’ve fallen even more ill because there’s no electricity.”
Residential medical officer Md Abdul Karim said that no written notice was given regarding the disconnection, although they had been verbally informed earlier.
“Had we received a formal notice, we could have made some preparations. The power supply was restored around 1:00 pm,” he added.
Shamsul Alam, assistant engineer at the Bhairab residential power distribution department, told Prothom Alo that the hospital's dues had been increasing over time.
“Despite repeated reminders, the authorities did not clear the bills. So we had no choice but to disconnect the power supply,” he said