A 26-year-old kidney patient died during dialysis at the Bijnor district hospital in Uttar Pradesh after a sudden power cut halted his treatment midway. The hospital’s backup generator reportedly lacked fuel, causing a complete failure in resuming the life-saving procedure.
The deceased, Sarfaraz Ahmad, was undergoing dialysis when electricity was abruptly cut off. His mother, in a heart-wrenching account to Times of India, said, “When the power went off, the machine stopped midway with almost half his blood stuck inside it. I begged the staff to start the generator, but no one helped. My son died soon after.”
According to the report, an official inspection was underway at the hospital at the time of the incident. Bijnor’s Chief Development Officer (CDO), Purna Borah, found five more patients lying without power, light, or fans during his visit on Friday.
Hospital staff blamed Sanjeevani, the private firm responsible for managing the dialysis unit since 2020 under a public-private partnership, for not supplying diesel needed to run the generator.
Medical experts told TOI that while it’s unlikely a large volume of blood was “stuck” inside the dialysis machine, a sudden halt during the process can seriously destabilise a critical patient. One expert explained, “During haemodialysis, only about 200 to 250 ml of blood circulates through the machine at any time. However, an abrupt power failure can delay the process and destabilise critically ill patients.”
District Magistrate Jasjit Kaur visited the facility, seized all records related to the dialysis unit, and assured firm action. “There was mismanagement and no cleanliness in the unit. A case is being registered against the agency. In addition, it will be blacklisted,” she said.
The tragedy has raised serious questions about infrastructure, accountability, and the safety of critical healthcare services run via public-private partnerships in India.
