Video: Patients treated under mobile torchlight after power outage at Bihar hospital

Patients at Sasaram's Sadar Hospital were treated under mobile torchlight after a sudden power outage in the emergency ward. The incident has triggered an inquiry and renewed scrutiny of the hospital's backup power systems.Visuals circulating online show healthcare workers examining and attending to patients in dimly lit conditions. (Screengrab)Patients at the Sadar Hospital in Bihar's Rohtas district were allegedly treated using the torchlight of mobile phones after a sudden power outage disrupted services in the emergency ward.Videos of the incident, which have gone viral on social media, have raised questions over the functioning of the hospital despite having dedicated backup power arrangements.According to local reports, the incident occurred at the Model Hospital attached to the Sadar Hospital in Sasaram, where doctors and medical staff were attending to emergency patients when electricity supply was interrupted.With the lights going out unexpectedly, medical personnel reportedly continued treatment using the flashlight feature on their mobile phones until power was restored. The incident has sparked concern as the hospital is equipped with a separate transformer to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply. Backup infrastructure, including generators and other emergency power systems, has also been installed to prevent disruption of critical medical services.However, despite these arrangements, the emergency ward reportedly plunged into darkness, forcing doctors to rely on mobile phone torches while treating patients. Visuals circulating online show healthcare workers examining and attending to patients in dimly lit conditions, prompting criticism over the reliability of the hospital's emergency infrastructure.ROHTAS MAGISTRATE CLARIFIES THE SITUATIONReacting to the viral videos, Rohtas District Magistrate Deepak Kumar Mishra said a preliminary inquiry suggested that the outage was caused by a malfunction in the Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB), which resulted in power being cut for around two minutes."The matter came to our notice after videos of treatment under mobile torchlight surfaced on social media. A preliminary investigation found that the MCB had tripped, leading to a power outage of approximately two minutes," Mishra said.The District Magistrate added that a team has been constituted to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. He said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.While officials maintain that the disruption was brief, the incident has highlighted concerns over the preparedness of public healthcare facilities to deal with power failures, particularly in emergency departments where uninterrupted electricity is critical for patient care.Authorities are expected to examine whether the hospital's backup systems functioned as intended and if any lapses occurred in maintaining uninterrupted power supply during the emergency.- EndsWith inputs from Ranjan KumarPublished By: Ritaban MisraPublished On: Aug 8, 2026 16:01 IST