A fire caused by an electrical short circuit at Rangpur Medical College Hospital early Thursday disrupted power supply to the hospital for around six hours, causing suffering for patients and their relatives.
The fire broke out at a switchboard near the hospital’s administrative section around 6am, said Kaniz Sabiha, assistant director (Administration) of the hospital.
A duty nurse noticed the fire and informed the Rangpur Fire Service. Firefighters rushed to the hospital and brought the blaze under control.
The fire damaged the switchboard’s circuit breaker and electrical wires, cutting off power to the entire hospital.
The incident triggered panic among patients and their relatives, with many rushing out of the wards with patients.
They returned to their respective wards after the fire was brought under control.
Hospital staff worked for around six hours to repair the damaged electrical lines.
Power supply to the wards was restored around noon, allowing normal hospital operations to resume.
Emergency medical services, including dialysis and intensive care unit (ICU) services, also resumed fully after power was restored.
However, electricity supply to the administrative building was restored later following repair work.
Kaniz Sabiha said there was no other damage to the hospital in the fire.