Authorities of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Saturday said they were working on a “war footing” to restore the services that were temporarily disrupted by the heavy downpour that lashed the Capital on Friday.
According to a notice released by the hospital, some operating theatres (OTs) were non-functional on Friday due to damage to the air conditioning and seepage in the walls. “…Hence, no case can be operated upon. Any patients coming to the emergency ward requiring surgery can be referred to either Safdarjung Hospital or any other government hospital. If it is an urgent case, it may be taken up at the trauma centre after discussing with the concerned faculty,” the notice read.
The Congress’s Delhi unit had claimed that as many as nine OTs at the hospital had to be closed, resulting in the rescheduling of several surgeries. “The situation has exposed the lack of preparedness by the BJP government at the Centre in ensuring that a hospital as prestigious as AIIMS functions without any glitch,” said Delhi Congress president Devender Yadav, calling the closure of the OTs “shocking”.
However, authorities said surgeries had, on the whole, not been impacted, and were temporarily shifted to a different ward on Saturday.
“Surgeries have not been impacted. Neurosurgery was temporarily impacted because there was no electricity supply from the New Delhi Municipal Council, but it was functional by 6 p.m. on Friday and continued to function all night,” said AIIMS media protocol in-charge Rima Dada.
Meanwhile, at the trauma centre, some OTs were shut as the basement was flooded. “However, four life-threatening cases were taken up. The OTs were only shut over fears of a short-circuit due to moisture, and will be reopened soon after electrical engineers give us the green signal. In the meantime, operations are taking place in the Burn and Plastic Ward nearby,” Ms. Dada said.
