Power went off in parts of SSKM Hospital on Tuesday morning, forcing doctors to carry out surgeries in the insufficient glow of hand-held flashlights.

This occurred while health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra was inaugurating an “uninterrupted power supply” system at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.

The departments hit by the power cut were cardiology, cardio-thoracic surgery, urology, nephrology and gynaecology. The disruption in supply started around 11am and continued for 55 minutes in the first phase. The second phase started around 1pm and lasted an hour.

“A kidney transplant and an open-heart surgery were conducted under flashlights. Both surgeries were halfway through when power went off. A few non-critical surgeries, which were under way when the operating theatres (OTs) were plunged into darkness, were postponed,” said a senior hospital official.

A CESC official attributed the power cut to a damaged cable. “The cable got damaged while an agency was digging up parts of the premises. Our teams left for the hospital immediately after being informed about the power cut around 12.30pm.”

Minister Mishra refused to comment when asked why the premier hospital did not have an emergency power generation system.

“Installation of the uninterrupted power supply system and the central gas supply system at National Medical College and Hospital were part of our hospital modernisation drive,” he said.

“The power system will automatically activate generators to ensure uninterrupted supply to the wards and the OTs during power cuts,” explained principal R.N. Chattopadhyay.

The central gas supply will provide oxygen to the wards and OTs and a gas used for anaesthesia to the OTs.

The systems were launched at a cost of Rs 64 lakh.