Power cuts and load-shedding are disrupting healthcare services at hospitals and upazila health complexes across several districts of Bangladesh, affecting everything from emergency treatment and diagnostic tests to surgical procedures.
Patients with breathing difficulties are among those facing immediate consequences, as nebuliser machines cannot always be operated during outages. Diagnostic services such as X-rays and electrocardiograms are also being interrupted. In some facilities, generators are available as a backup, but shortages of fuel mean they cannot always be used when electricity fails.
At Matlab South Upazila Health Complex in Chandpur, 58-day-old Hafsa Jahan, who has pneumonia, has been struggling to receive regular nebuliser treatment. The infant needs the treatment several times a day to ease her breathing, but power interruptions have prevented it from being administered consistently.
The electricity cuts have also stopped the fans in the ward. In the heat, the child’s breathing difficulty worsens, leaving her mother to hold her and wait for the electricity to return.
Similar problems have been reported elsewhere. In Patiya, Chattogram, a one-and-a-half-year-old child suffering from pneumonia needed nebuliser treatment six times a day, but received it only three times because of power cuts. At Raipur Upazila Health Complex in Lakshmipur, a four-year-old pneumonia patient has also been unable to receive nebuliser treatment regularly.
The disruption extends well beyond respiratory care. At several upazila-level facilities, X-rays, electrocardiograms, laboratory tests and other diagnostic services are being suspended during outages. Patients who need tests prescribed by doctors are consequently being forced to visit private clinics and diagnostic centres, increasing their medical expenses.
Power fails during surgery
Some of the most serious concerns have emerged from operating theatres, where interruptions can occur during surgical procedures.
At Bagmara Upazila Health Complex in Rajshahi, electricity reportedly failed while a Caesarean section was under way. The sudden darkness caused anxiety among the patient and her relatives. Staff used mobile phone lights temporarily, while fuel was quickly arranged to start the generator. The operation was then completed.
Shankar Kumar Biswas, the health and family planning officer at the facility, said that almost all hospital activities, including diagnostic services, come to a standstill when electricity is unavailable. A power failure during surgery creates an especially serious situation.
Although one generator at the facility has been repaired, it cannot be operated regularly because there is no adequate allocation for fuel.
A similar incident occurred at Nilphamari General Hospital. Electricity went out about 15 minutes after a Caesarean section had begun. The baby was delivered, but the mother’s procedure had not yet been completed. The generator was subsequently switched on and the surgery was finished.
Operating theatre staff said that generators can keep essential equipment running during an outage, but air-conditioning cannot always be maintained. Working in excessive heat makes surgery difficult for doctors and nurses and can also create an unsuitable environment for patients.
Generators without fuel
The availability of a generator does not necessarily guarantee uninterrupted emergency support. Several hospitals have backup generators but lack sufficient fuel to operate them.
At Matlab South Upazila Health Complex, the only generator has remained out of operation because of a shortage of fuel. Hospital officials say it requires around 15 to 20 litres of fuel a day to operate, but there is no adequate allocation to purchase the required amount.
Raipur Upazila Health Complex also has a generator, but insufficient fuel allocation means it cannot be used whenever the electricity supply fails. As a result, services including X-rays, electrocardiograms and nebuliser treatment can be suspended.
At the other end of the spectrum, Bera Upazila Health Complex in Pabna does not have a generator. When the power goes out, diagnostic tests stop and patients have to wait until electricity is restored.
At Kulaura Upazila Health Complex in Moulvibazar, patients and staff have sometimes had to rely on candles at night during power failures. Doctors have also had to examine patients using the light from mobile phones.
Public hospital tests disrupted, costs rise
Patients requiring diagnostic tests are particularly affected by unstable electricity supplies.
At Sakhipur Upazila Health Complex in Tangail, load-shedding and low voltage have repeatedly disrupted the operation of the X-ray machine. One patient injured in a motorcycle accident arrived at the government facility for an X-ray but was forced to go to a private clinic when the machine could not be operated.
The patient paid Tk500 for the test at the private facility. At the government hospital, the same X-ray would have cost only Tk55.
Low voltage has also affected X-ray services at Manikchhari Upazila Health Complex in Khagrachhari. Patients are consequently being directed to private clinics and diagnostic centres when tests cannot be performed at the government facility.
At Raipur, a patient waited for nearly an hour to have an X-ray of a finger but eventually left without undergoing the test because electricity had not returned. In Matlab South, another patient waited for almost two hours to have an X-ray of her sick mother before deciding to seek the service at a private hospital.
Such disruptions can impose a disproportionate burden on patients who turn to public hospitals precisely because treatment and diagnostic services are generally cheaper there.
Patients endure heat and darkness
The impact of the power crisis is also being felt by people already admitted to hospital wards.
At Bera Upazila Health Complex, the mother of a young man suffering from fever was seen using a hand fan to keep him comfortable. Relatives said repeated power cuts at night were making the heat particularly difficult for patients.
At Taraganj Upazila Health Complex in Rangpur, a patient suffering from breathing difficulties said the condition became worse whenever electricity failed. With the nebuliser unable to operate, the patient had to rely on hand fans. Power sometimes remained unavailable for between one and two hours.
Patients and relatives at Kulaura and Juri health complexes in Moulvibazar said electricity was sometimes unavailable for eight to 12 hours over the course of a day and night. At Kulaura, a relative accompanying a child with pneumonia said candles had to be used when the power failed at night.
For hospitals, prolonged outages create a chain of problems. Ventilation becomes difficult, essential medical equipment may stop working, diagnostic tests are delayed and staff have to depend on limited backup arrangements.
Supply falls short of demand
The electricity shortage has intensified in several parts of Lakshmipur in recent months. Local electricity authorities said the available supply was around 30 to 35 per cent below demand. Bera in Pabna has also experienced shortages during both daytime and night-time hours.
According to information from the Bangladesh Power Development Board and the country’s electricity transmission authorities, fuel shortages have made it difficult to generate enough electricity to meet demand. Load-shedding has therefore continued in different parts of the country.
Hospitals are particularly vulnerable to such disruptions because many essential services depend on a stable electricity supply. Surgical procedures, diagnostic equipment, nebulisers, ventilation systems and other medical facilities cannot always function normally without reliable power.
The experiences reported from hospitals in different districts show that the electricity shortage is no longer simply a matter of inconvenience for patients and households. In healthcare facilities, prolonged and unpredictable power interruptions can delay treatment, increase patients’ expenses and place additional pressure on already limited medical services.
