Power Off, Flashlight On: Bihar Doctors Use Torches To Operate On Pregnant Woman
Doctors at a government hospital in Bihar performed surgeries on two pregnant women using only mobile phone flashlights and torches due to a prolonged power outage. An inquiry has been launched following reports of recurring infrastructure failures at the facility.
Why it matters
The incident exposes critical gaps in public healthcare infrastructure and administrative accountability in rural India.
Two pregnant women underwent surgery under torchlight and mobile phone flashlights at Bihar's Jamui Sadar Hospital on Friday after a power outage in the operation theatre left doctors without electricity for nearly 45 minutes, according to hospital sources.The two patients, identified as Pooja Kumari and Anjani Kumari, had been shifted from the maternity ward to the operation theatre, and their surgeries were already underway when the power supply was disrupted, doctors said. With the generator failing to provide immediate backup, the medical team continued the procedures using torches and mobile phone flashlights.The doctors involved, Dr Shalini Kumari, Dr Raghunandan and OT assistant Amit Kumar, reportedly informed the civil surgeon and hospital superintendent about the incident.A video purportedly shows one of the surgeries being carried out under mobile phone light.
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