Mohali, June 13 -- The civil hospital in Dera Bassi experienced a major power outage on Thursday, severely disrupting procedures in operation theatres (OTs), wards and corridors. The blackout, reportedly caused due to overloading of the hospital's power grid amid the ongoing heatwave, left the patients and staff in a state of panic and discomfort, sparking concerns over the hospital's emergency preparedness.

Hospital authorities attributed the outage to excessive load on the electrical system.

Taking note of the situation, Mohali deputy commissioner Komal Mittal ordered an inquiry and sought a detailed report from the civil surgeon. "The situation could have turned life-threatening, especially for patients in critical condition undergoi...