The facility's back-up power generator failed last Friday evening following severe power cuts that plunged many localities here into darkness. The power crisis at the hospital lasted for over four hours.When Mmegi visited the clinic on Friday evening, a handful of patients were assisted by nurses using cellphone torches.Reports also suggest that it has become a norm for nurses at Jubilee to operate in the dark during electricity disruptions.The Friday incident has exacerbated fears that the clinic is not ready to deal with power disruptions. "Lack of regular supply of power exposes patients to danger.
At times some patient cases need ample light to be attended to. Other options such as cellphone torches, which we sometimes use, cannot provide enough light during the electricity crisis. This means that we do not perform our duties diligently. The back-up generator constantly experiences faults and is not reliable," said a nurse who preferred anonymity.Yesterday NRH spokesperson Caiphus Gabana refuted allegations that the clinic is not ready to deal with emergencies."I am aware that the clinic's generators failed last week Friday following power cuts. Their failure was due to a technical problem that has since been rectified. They are now ready to function," he said.He further downplayed allegations that generators at the facility constantly experience mechanical problems."We experienced this problem (regular technical problems of the generator) a few years ago but a certain firm was hired to fix the generator. Since then the back-up generator has been functioning without experiencing any major problem. Even the NRH old back-up generator was replaced a few years ago after it gave us trouble," he said.
