By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net 

THE Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) said patient care was not disrupted after a power outage hit Princess Margaret Hospital yesterday evening, insisting a ventilator-dependent patient remained safe on backup battery during the incident.

The authority said power to the medical and surgical blocks went out at about 4.45pm and was restored by 6.17pm. Officials said the critical care block, which houses the intensive care unit, neonatal intensive care unit, and the emergency room, was not affected.

“The executive management team was on the ground during the outage, and clinical teams ensured that patient care continued without interruption,” the PHA said. “We wish to reassure the public that no patients were harmed and all safety protocols were followed.”

Officials said a risk assessment has been launched and new backup batteries installed to strengthen redundancy. They apologised to patients and visitors for the delay in visiting hours until power was restored.

Despite those assurances, former Health Minister Dr Duane Sands called the incident unacceptable, stressing that hospitals are designed with multiple layers of backup power.

“Princess Margaret Hospital is built with redundant generator systems,” Dr Sands said. “If city power fails, the backup generator is supposed to kick in, and if that generator fails there ought to be another backup. This is why it is so concerning, because a hospital should never be in a position where power is lost for that long.”

He warned that patients in critical care are especially vulnerable. “You are talking about people on ventilators, babies in incubators, and patients on operating tables,” he said. “If the power goes off and generators do not come on, then staff are left manually bagging patients to keep them alive, or trying to complete an operation by flashlight. That is not acceptable.”

Consultant Physicians Staff Association President Dr Charelle Lockhart said she was not on shift during the outage but was told senior management acted quickly to protect patients. She said colleagues reported the situation remained calm, with critical units unaffected.

Bahamas Doctors Union President Dr Camille Glinton-Thompson also confirmed there was no interruption to patient care.

Dr Sands, however, said the incident reflected deeper issues in the health system, citing concerns about maintenance, emergency preparedness, and chronic shortages of resources.

He urged investigators to determine whether lapses contributed to the failure.

 “Capacity is something that you cannot cut corners on,” he said, warning that “when you having these kinds of events, head should roll.”