Hospital’s electricity failure leads to patient transfers

A sudden electricity failure at the Nawalapitiya Base Hospital on June 20 night, compelled hospital authorities to transfer some patients including those in the ICU to hospitals in surrounding areas, Hospital Director Dr. Senarath Bandara said.

An in-house generator was activated to provide three-phase electricity to the hospital as a temporary measure, he said. There was suspicion that several equipment in the hospital was damaged due to a heavy surge of electricity from the generator, he said.

He said ICU patients were transferred to the Gampola, Peradeniya and Kandy Hospitals. The hospital ICU has been temporarily closed and no referral patients were admitted to the ICU from the surrounding hospitals.

He said the private firm which has supplied the generator had been notified to repair the damage.