A prolonged power outage that disrupted services at North Goa District Hospital for nearly four hours has raised serious concerns about the reliability of essential infrastructure in one of Goa's major public healthcare institutions. The incident caused significant inconvenience and distress to hundreds of patients and visitors who had come to the hospital seeking medical care. Hospitals are critical facilities that must function round the clock without interruption. During the outage, elevators remained non-functional, creating immense difficulties for elderly patients, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, and those requiring urgent medical attention. In the sweltering heat and humidity the failure of fans and ventilation systems further added to the discomfort of patients, attendants, and hospital staff. The incident underscores the importance of close coordination between the Health Department and the Electricity Department. Robust backup systems, including well-maintained generators and alternative power arrangements, should be readily available and capable of taking over immediately in the event of a power failure. Equally important is the need for regular inspection and preventive maintenance of the hospital's electrical infrastructure. The four-hour outage serves as a wake-up call for the authorities to act decisively.
