Elective surgeries hit at PMSSY Hospital due to AC breakdown

Bengaluru: Authorities at PMSSY Hospital in the city were forced to postpone elective surgeries by two days due to a breakdown in the centralised air-conditioning. 

While the hospital usually performs 14 surgeries daily on average, the sudden breakdown of the centralised AC system meant that only four surgeries (emergency cases) each could be carried out on Saturday and Tuesday. 

However, doctors were able to perform 17 surgeries — three more than daily average — by using fans and coolers on Monday, officials said. 

The Bangalore Medical College Research Institute (BMCRI) Super-Speciality Hospitaly became operational in 2012. Spread over five floors, it has 200 beds, and air-conditioning plays a crucial role in its operations. 

According to Dr Divyaprakash M, Special Officer, BMCRI, the air-conditioning broke down due to a dysfunction in three chillers, which was caused by voltage fluctuation. 

"The system will hopefully be repaired by Wednesday evening," he told DH. "We have been doing surgeries despite the AC outage, including emergencies and those that can be completed in 30-40 minutes. Only elective cases are rescheduled by two to three days." 

Divyaprakash said that the cold weather hindered repair work, which required warm conditions. The number of surgeries was curtailed on Tuesday because of the repair work, he added. 

The hospital has four chillers, one of which broken down a few years ago. The remaining three chillers are sufficient for daily operations, according to hospital authorities.