Visakhapatnam, Apr 8 (IANS): A woman delivered a baby under the light of phones, torchlights and candles at a government hospital in Narsipatnam of Andhra Pradesh.
With NTR Government Hospital plunging into darkness due to power cuts gripping the state and failure of the generator at the hospital premises, the staff asked the attendants of the woman to arrange as many cellphones, torchlights and candles as possible.
The woman had started experiencing labour pains and the doctors and other medical staff on duty had no other option but to ask the woman's husband, mother and others accompanying her to arrange the light. The incident occurred on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.
The woman's husband said the staff asked him to bring the candles around midnight. They then asked him to arrange cellphones and torch lights. He could arrange a few.
The woman's mother and husband were worried over her safety but luckily the baby was born without any complication. "We kept praying to god as anything could have happened," said the man.
"It was a very difficult situation. We had not even heard of a delivery being carried out under cellphone and torchlights," he said.
The woman and other patients at the hospital said they went through hell as it was pitch dark and very hot with mosquitoes adding to their woes.
The hospital officials said the generator had developed technical problems. They have been using the generator regularly for the last few days due to daily power cuts.
Meanwhile, reacting to the incident, opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) general secretary Nara Lokesh said that it shows how bad the situation in the state is. He also posted on Twitter a picture of a government hospital in Jangareddygudem. He wrote that newborn babies and their mothers are going through hell at the hospital due to power cuts. He blamed the YSRCP government's inefficiency for the crisis.
Growing demand due to harsh summers has triggered electricity shortage in the state. Authorities have imposed a 50 per cent cut due to mounting deficit.