Cancer patients treated under phone flashlights in VIMSAR in Odisha

SAMBALPUR: Cancer patients at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences And Research (VIMSAR), Burla were administered chemotherapy under mobile phone flashlight after a power cut that lasted for over three hours on Tuesday.

The incident came to fore on Thursday after videos of patients being treated in the dark went viral on social media.

Sources said on February 11, power supply to the building which houses the cancer ward, was disrupted at around 12 pm. Though many patients were waiting to avail chemotherapy treatment in the ward, the generator backup could not be put to use due to some issues. Eventually, the hospital staff were forced to administer chemotherapy to patients under mobile phone flashlights.