Karnataka doctors use phone torch to stitch wound amid power outage at Ballari hospital: Report

Patients and their families allege severe lapses in infrastructure and staffing.

A power outage at Ballari’s Super Speciality Trauma Centre in Karnataka on Thursday evening left doctors struggling to treat emergency cases, with one medical team resorting to stitching a patient’s wound under the dim light of a mobile phone torch.

The incident has sparked outrage, with locals blaming poor hospital management and lack of maintenance.

The incident has sparked outrage, with locals blaming poor hospital management and lack of maintenance. The trauma centre, jointly established by the Union and state governments two years ago, has been plagued by complaints since its inception, The New Indian Express reported.

Patients and their families allege severe lapses in infrastructure and staffing, adding to the growing concerns over government hospital standards in Karnataka, the report added.

A relative of the injured patient, who was rushed to the emergency ward after an accident, recounted the ordeal. “Around 7 pm, the power suddenly went out. There was no immediate response from the hospital staff, and we saw patients struggling. The doctors had no choice but to use a phone’s flashlight to complete the stitches,” he said according to the publication.

The outage reportedly lasted for 15-20 minutes, causing distress among patients, particularly those on ventilators.

Nurse uses Fevikwik

In another incident of medical negligence, a government hospital nurse in Karnataka was suspended for using Fevikwik, a commercial adhesive, instead of stitches to treat a deep wound on a seven-year-old child’s cheek.

The incident, which came to light through a viral video recorded by the child’s parents, has sparked widespread outrage and raised concerns about safety standards in public healthcare facilities, news agency PTI reported.

The shocking lapse occurred on January 14 at the Adoor Primary Health Centre in Hanagal taluk, Haveri district, when Gurukishan Annappa Hosamani, profusely bleeding from a deep facial wound, was rushed in for medical attention.